Mission:Family
by adavisa
Summary: While in prison, Jax realizes that he needs to get his family away from the club life nefore he loses them. This is Jax/Tara with eventual Jax/Tara/Opie. This includes Jax/Opie and Tara/Opie.
1. Chapter 1

Being in prison was absolutely killing him, both figuratively and literally. He'd been stabbed in the back by a pissed off Russian mobster and now his girlfriend, his wonderful Tara, was in premature labor at Saint Thomas while he was laying on his stomach with his foot cuffed to the bed rail in the Stockton Penitentiary infirmary. He'd been such a idiot when Abel was born, he didn't have a clue what was going on then, but now he was terrified. The woman he had loved for the majority of his life was in the hospital fighting to not give birth to their child yet, while he was strapped to a bed in prison, unable to do anything for her or their still too tiny son. He felt like the biggest tool in the world, and knew that his feelings were probably Tara's feelings too. The longer he laid there with no news, the more he mentally berated himself, and the worse he felt.

Lowen had visited him that morning, bringing the news that Tara was at Saint Thomas in labor at only twenty-eight and a half weeks. They were giving her a lot of medication, including steroids for the baby's lungs, and keeping her pelvis elevated to stall the labor as long as possible, but it didn't look good. They were hoping to keep her water from breaking for at least forty-eight hours, so that the medication they'd given her would have full effect on the baby's lungs. They'd just found out a few weeks ago that they were having another boy. The moment the ultrasound tech said "It's a boy," Tara had said, "We're naming him Thomas." The ultrasound tech knew what his son's name was going to be, before Jax did. He didn't mind though. His brother Thomas had been close with Tara when they were children. She'd sit and color with Thomas, or just talk to him, when he was too tired to run and play with Jax and Opie. Thomas' death had devastated Tara almost as much as it had devastated Jax.

Jax couldn't believe that he'd failed Tara, failed their son in such a way. He wasn't there for either of them, and he knew it was entirely his fault. Sure, he'd been dumb when Abel was born, but he really had no excuse now. He was in prison for the Club, again, and it was causing him to miss out on some of the most important moments in life. How could he possible miss the birth of both of his sons? He'd be lucky if Tara stuck around after all he'd put her through. He prayed to a God he wasn't sure he believed in, to give him one more chance to right things with his family. He hoped that Lowen could help him with that. She'd helped fix his family once before, and hopefully could, and would, do it again.

Before he went to prison, he had Lowen draft all the papers for Wendy to give up her parental rights to Abel, and had made sure she signed them, in front of witnesses that had nothing to do with SAMCRO, and enabled Tara to adopt his son. No matter what happened between them, she'd be Abel's mother for the rest of her life. If she left him, she could easily take Abel with her and he'd never seen any of them again. That thought scared the shit out of him, and brought an ache to his chest that made it difficult to breathe. He knew that he had to do something, but he had no idea what exactly to do this time.

He lay on that infirmary bed for three days, only allowed up to use the bathroom, before someone came and took him to a private room to meet with Lowen again. Her news wasn't fantastic, but it was better than nothing. His son was born that morning, fifty-two hours after Tara originally went into labor and fifty hours after the first steroid shot she'd been given to help mature Thomas' lungs. The best news in the world was that the shots worked and his son had needed only high-flow oxygen at birth, not a ventilator. For a not quite twenty-nine week gestation baby, that was fabulous news. They were keeping a close eye on his kidney function and had checked out his heart thoroughly, finding no sign of the family defect. Jax breathed easier when Lowen told him that. At least one of his sons wasn't going to start out with open-heart surgery.

Lowen reached into her briefcase and gave Jax a smile, pulling out a small stack of photographs. His son was in a toaster, just like Abel had been, but he was bigger, and he looked so much healthier, even with the lines going into his umbilical cord stump, oxygen hose in his nose and the various monitor wires strapped to his little body. His skin was a better color, and it brought tears to Jax's eyes. He knew at that moment that SAMCRO wasn't going to be the future for his sons. He knew they had to grow up with dreams of more than a Harley and a cut. He had to do something, and do it fast. Then it hit him, and he knew exactly what he had to do.

"Ally, I need your help," he said, his bright blue eyes pleading with her. "The club can't know anything about what I'm about to tell you."

Lowen assured him that her confidentiality agreement extended to each client, not the club as a whole. Anything he told her would not be shared with anyone unless he expressly wished for it to be shared. Sure, she was on SAMCRO's retainer, but she was more than willing to keep each man's secrets and help them in anyway possible. She'd even drop the retainer to another lawyer if Jax's next words were moving enough for her.

He explained his fears to her and told her he needed out of the club. He explained that he didn't want getting stabbed in the back in Stockton like he had, or rotting for life like Otto and Lenny, to be in his sons' futures. He wanted them to have more than what he'd had, but he needed her help making a clean break with the club. He wasn't stupid, he knew that Clay would never allow him to just leave, so he had to have some leverage against the power hungry President. The rest of the guys would let him go, he was fairly sure, but not Clay or Gemma. It might be even harder to get away from Gemma, than the club, now that he thought about it.

Lowen agreed to talk with Tara, and get her to talk with Margaret about a job somewhere else, preferably another state, and see if she could get the ball rolling, and do what she could to ensure his release from SAMCRO. She knew that this would likely mean dropping SAMCRO as a whole, as her clients, but if Jax was really committed to getting Tara and the boys away from the drugs, guns, and violence of the club, she was willing to take the hit to her pocketbook. No amount of money would make her feel better than to see those two little boys away from the death and destruction that had become SAMCRO. Those men were a force to be reckoned with, no doubt, but she wasn't afraid of them.

Jax heaved a sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair, studying the photographs of his tiny, newborn son. His little fingers and toes were so tiny. It seemed like it'd been a hundred years since Abel was this tiny, even though it'd only been ten months. He couldn't believe he had two children born in the same year. It had barely been a year since he was totally against having kids, not wanting to end his partying days. He hoped his boys would be close, and take care of each other. Jax smiled at the thought of his sons growing up together, being best friends like he and Opie had been. The last photo in the stack took his breath away. It was a shot of Tara holding a blanket wrapped Thomas in her arms as the nurse put the oxygen cannula in his nose. His beautiful girl had tears in her eyes as she smiled down at their son, and another pang of guilt hit him. He wasn't there for her, to wipe her tears away, or hold her hand while she gave birth to their child. He'd likely been the cause of her preterm labor. The news of him getting stabbed couldn't have been good for her or Thomas. It would be a long time before Jax forgave himself for causing his family so much pain. He wished he'd done things just a little differently so many years ago, and maybe things would have been different.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by Lowen. "Jax, stop blaming yourself. You're getting on the right track now, and doing what's right for your family. I know for a fact Margaret Murphy will be more than happy to assist you guys in getting out of Charming and away from SAMCRO. Let me talk to Tara, Margaret and another lawyer I know, I'll keep your name out of it, and see what kind of programs I can get you enrolled in to help you when you get out of prison," she assured her client. She'd never been happier for a client than she was right now. She loved the payday that being SAMCRO's lawyer came with, but she knew that it was no life for a family, and was glad to see Jax realizing the same thing, before it was too late. "Oh and I almost forgot," she added. "Thomas was three pounds, nine ounces and fifteen inches long. He's a tiny little thing, but he's a really good size for his age, and a tough little thing. He's going to be OK, Jax."

Jax smiled at her. "Thanks Lowen, I appreciate all this. "

Ally Lowen hugged her client before she left the room, "It's my pleasure Jax, it really is. I can't wait to see you guys get away."


	2. Chapter 2

Lowen had visited Jax a couple of times a week, independent of the visits she made to SAMCRO. She'd been to see Tara in the hospital again, and both Tara and Margaret were thrilled with his plans to leave SAMCRO and leave Charming. Tara was happy that he'd involved Lowen and Margaret with the planning, because she knew he meant business this time. Margaret had promised to help them in any way possible, even if it was financial help they needed. She couldn't wait to see Tara and the boys safe and sound, and was surprisingly happy that Jax was going to be a part of their happiness. Tara'd sent her love and happiness to Jax through Lowen each time she came to Stockton, This week would be different.

Tara was coming to visit him for the first time since she'd given birth. Thomas was six weeks old, and well on his way to coming home from the hospital. He couldn't wait to wrap his arms around the woman who had not only given him a beautiful son, but had stood by him while SAMCRO and his mother tried to rip them apart, and adopted his oldest son. Their oldest son. Abel was an absolute mama's boy, and he saw no one but Tara as his mama. Abel's fierce love for his mama had ruffled Gemma's feathers on more than one occasion, but Jax didn't even care. Watching his girl with his son was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He couldn't wait to be out of jail and able to have his whole family together. He wanted to be able to watch Tara with Thomas; to be able to hold Thomas while Tara played with Abel.

A guard walked up and opened his cell door, "Visitation Teller, Lowman." Jax and Happy followed the guard to the visitation room and found Happy's mom waiting for him, and Tara waiting for Jax.

Tara stood when she saw Jax and he walked over to her as fast as he could. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her close to him, burying his face in her hair. "I missed you so much," he whispered in her ear. "How are the boys?"

Tara smiled as they sat down at the small table. Jax held her hands and listened as she told him about Abel taking his first steps, Thomas getting his first tube feeding of breastmilk, Abel giving Gemma hell while Tara was in the hospital, and Thomas coming off of the oxygen cannula. "I'm supposed to get to nurse him tonight at six," she said happily.

"That's great baby," Jax said, the first genuine smile on his face since he'd been locked up. "You're being so strong. Thank you for being such a wonderful mother to our boys."

Tara gave him another stack of pictures, this time they included pictures of Abel. He got his first glimpse of Thomas without anything obscuring his face, and he saw just how much his second son looking like Tara. It thrilled him to see his beautiful wife's face peering up at him from his son. The next picture was of Abel in Chibs' arms, peering into the incubator, looking at his new baby brother. Jax flipped through the pictures, his heart soaring at each new sight. As he studied each one, Tara would tell him a story about the moment she, or someone else, took the picture. The one where Abel was standing with his feet apart and a toy car in each hand was moments after he took his first steps. The one of Abel beside the incubator was the first time he seen Thomas. Jax couldn't wait to be home with them. His arms ached to hold his boys.

All too soon, the guards announced that visitation was over for this group, and gave everyone two minutes to say their goodbyes. Jax and Tara stood with their arms around each other until the very last second. Tara whispered, "I'm so proud of you Jax," in his ear as she let go, and he just replied, "I love you."

Jax and Happy walked back to their cell together, passing Clay and Juice on their way to their own visitation. "You need to get the fuck out of here man," Happy said suddenly, after the guard had locked them back in their cell and walked away.

Jax eyed his brother and cellmate carefully. Happy was well known for his loyalty to the club, so to hear something like that come out of him was concerning. "What do you mean? We all need to get out of here."

"I don't mean this prison, and you know it. SAMCRO ain't what it used to be and it ain't no place to be raising kids. Look at Opie, Chibs, Tig. One dead old lady, two gnarly scars and a kid he's seen once in the last ten years, and two kids who don't want anything but daddy's money. That how you want your kids to be? Or Tara? She's worth more than that bro. She's worth more than a bullet to the back of the head," Happy answered, giving him a hard look.

To say Jax was surprised was an understatement, but he was still nervous about letting Happy know his plans. Happy had always been loyal to Clay, and that scared him. "I don't know man, just because that happened to them, doesn't mean it's gonna happen to me."

"Look brother. I've seen the wheels turning in your head when you look at those pictures Lowen brought you. And you're right. Get them the fuck away from SAMCRO before it's too late. Both those boys have had rough starts in life and they don't need to lose their mom or dad on top of it. Your secret is safe with me bro. Hell, I'll black out your tats if that's what you want," Happy assured him. "My loyalty to Clay ended when he ordered a hit on a brother without taking it to the table. That shit ain't cool man. And fuck Tig for taking the order, and then for not checking his mark before firing his weapon. That's just fucked up."

Jax breathed a sigh of relief. "Lowen's helping me. Margaret Murphy is helping Tara. We're getting the fuck out of Charming when this stint is over. I can't have my kids growing up like I did, with no dreams except a Harley and a cut. Abel's already so smart, there's no way I want him wasting his brains on this fucking club," he said with a sigh.

Happy nodded, conversation over, so Jax hopped up on his bunk and began penning a letter to Tara. He had no intentions of mailing it, he was going to write, and rewrite it until he got it perfect, and then he'd give it to her when he got out. Once she'd read it, he planned to propose to her.

The next morning Jax was informed that his lawyer had requested a meeting, and was taken into a private room. Lowen's face cracked into a huge smile when she walked in and saw him waiting on her. "I have some excellent news Mr. Teller."

Jax nodded and waited for her to continue.

"Margaret Murphy found Tara a job in Portland, Oregon, and she can start it anytime she likes. She has an open start date, any time in the next year. Since you get out in six months, that gives you time to complete a six week gang rehab course that will qualify you for grants to pay moving expenses, have your tattoos removed, and possibly even start your own business."

Jax's jaw dropped as Lowen talked. He couldn't believe how hard, and quickly, she'd worked on helping him. "Does Tara know all this," he asked, once he'd recovered from the shock.

"She does. She's conditionally accepted the position in Portland. Once you've completed the gang rehab, and have a release date, she'll officially accept the position and give them a start date, provided that Thomas is home from the hospital by then," Lowen explained. "Portland is very accepting of her circumstances, both with Thomas and with your turning over a new leaf. They want her there badly."

Jax grinned broadly, "They'd be crazy not to want her. Abel wouldn't be alive without her. She's the best." He sounded like a proud papa.

Lowne smiled back at him. "Once you're four weeks into the gang treatment program, you'll be moved to a different cell, since you're housed with a member of SAMCRO. Once you're housed in a different area, you'll be able to start having your tattoos removed. It's recommended that you remove any that are under your clothing before working on ones that can be easily seen."

Jax nodded. He'd happily sit through removing the giant reaper on his back, if it meant getting his family to safety. He was looking forward to the day. "When can I start this class?"

"The next class starts tomorrow, and I got them to accept you in as a late applicant. Normally you have to register a month in advance, but they made an exception," she told him.

Jax grinned at his lawyer, "You'll never know how much this means to me Ally. I can finally get my family out of this town like I should have done eleven years ago when Tara asked me to leave with her, when she went to college. Thank you so much."

Lowen patted Jax's hand. "You did what you thought was right at the time. Now that you know it wasn't right, you're working to fix it. Stop beating yourself up over the past Jax, you're becoming a better man by the day."

"Happy told me to get out," Jax told her, remembering the conversation from the day before. "He told me SAMCRO has changed too much and that I need to get the fuck out before I end up like Opie with a dead Old Lady, or Chibs with an Old Lady and kid he never sees, or like Tig, divorced and two kids that don't want anything to do with him."

Lowen contemplated her next words, "Can you trust Mr. Lowman?"

"Hap's probably the only one besides Chibs or Opie, that I'd trust with my life," he answered her honestly.

She nodded and said "I'll talk to him on my next trip to update you."

"Thanks again Ally," Jax said as Lowen gathered her things and prepared to leave the small conference room.

"Anytime Jax. I enjoy seeing my clients turn over a new leaf. I really love seeing you do it, because I'm pretty fond of Tara, and you have two beautiful little boys to take care of," she answered Jax with a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

Later in the week, a guard came to their cell again, but this time he pulled Happy out for a visit with the attorney, and an hour or so later when Happy returned, he told Jax, "I got your back brother."

"Thanks man," Jax replied.

That was all they spoke of the meeting with Lowen, and she didn't visit Jax that day, just in case anyone was keeping Clay informed of the comings and goings of his club members. Since Lowen hadn't planned to visit Jax, she'd given a few pictures to Happy, to deliver for her. Jax got to see Tara feeding Thomas for the first time, Abel eating watermelon for the first time, and a few other shots of both his boys.

Jax was pulled from his cell for a few hours each week, under the guise of anger management treatment, for his gang rehabilitation program. They taught job skills like typing and resume writing. At the end of the first week they all received typing certifications, if they'd passed fifty words per minute. At the end of the second week, they had resumes that listed all their legitimate work experience, and at the end of the third week, they'd all been fitted for a suit to wear to job interviews, that they would be given at their release from prison.

Tara visited Jax again at the end of the fourth week, and she had a surprise for him. When Jax entered the visitation room, Abel was sitting on the bench next to Tara, and on the table was an infant car seat with Thomas nestled safely inside. His eyes filled with tears as he hurried toward his family, the first time he'd seen Abel in eight months, and the first time he'd ever met his youngest son.

Tara smiled as she saw Jax coming toward her. She stood, picking Abel up and pointed at Jax. Abel squealed "Dada! Dada!" and Jax's heart melted. He hugged Abel close to his chest and put an arm around Tara as he peeked in the carrier at Thomas. "I've missed you so much buddy," he said as he kissed Abel's head over and over.

Tara unbuckled the straps of the car seat and got Thomas ready to get out of the seat before she took Abel from Jax and gestured for him to pick up his newborn son and hold him for the first time. Thomas was now ten weeks old, but he only weighed seven pounds and eleven ounces. He had just been released from the NICU the day before and Tara had been nervous to bring him out so soon, since his due date was still almost a month away, but she knew she couldn't keep him from Jax.

Jax picked Thomas up from his seat and cradled him against his chest. He was, again, taken back to when Abel had first come home from the hospital, so tiny and seemingly fragile. He took in that soft powdery baby smell and just enjoyed holding his son, not taking a moment for granted, for once in his life. He relished every grunt and coo that his son made, because he understood just how lucky they were, that he was so strong and healthy. He sat down on the bench and closed his eyes, trying to commit every smell and sound to memory. When he opened his eyes, Tara and Abel were sitting across from him. Tara was grinning at him with tears shining in her own eyes.

"Thank you so much babe," he said, his voice hoarse.

"For what," she asked, slightly confused.

"For sticking by me through all this. For adopting my son and making him ours. For giving me this beautiful boy in my arms. For never giving up on us, even after ten years apart. For not packing your shit and leaving like you had every right to do, after I treated you the way I did. You deserve so much better than me, but I promise you I am going to spend the rest of my life proving how much you really do mean to me," he said, looking into her eyes.

A few tears spilled out of Tara's eyes at his words. They slid down her cheeks and she brushed them away before Abel could see. "Just keep this one promise Jax. Keep this one promise and I'll know that you really do mean that," she told him, her voice betraying her hope and need.

Jax nodded, "I start getting zapped next week." Happy knew what was going on, but the rest of SAMCRO didn't, and Clay had ears everywhere, so he had to be careful how he worded things.

Tara nodded, understanding his meaning, "I am so proud of you Jax. So proud. Thank you."

Jax nodded and they began to talk about the kids and what had been going on since the last time she'd visited. Tara told him all about rooming in with Thomas at the hospital, even though she already knew how to take care of a premature infant. She was having to pump her breast milk twice a day to give Thomas bottles with formula powder and vitamin drops added to it, so that he gained weight at a slightly faster rate, since his body was working so hard to catch up outside the womb. He was still nursing like a champ for his other feeds. Abel had given up his bottle quite easily. He liked being a big brother, and apparently decided that only his baby brother got a bottle.

Once again, it was all too soon that the guard was calling the end of visitation, and Jax had to slide Thomas back into his carseat. Tara buckled Thomas in while Jax held Abel and kissed all over his face, making the toddler laugh at his father's antics. Jax pulled Tara into his arms as much as he could, since he was still holding Abel, and kissed the side of her head. "You're amazing, you know," he told her.

"I know," she replied cheekily, taking Abel from him. She grabbed Thomas' carseat and followed the other visitors out of the room. Jax waited until the he could no longer see her back, before he headed back to his cell.

When he reached his cell, Happy grinned at him, "You're outta here today bro."

"Huh?" Jax asked, confused.

"Your new cell. You're getting lasered on Monday, right?"

Jax nodded, "Yeah, I forgot about packing my shit. I got to hold Thomas today."

"Dude, that's awesome," Happy said, slapping him on the back.

"Did you call your mom yesterday," Jax suddenly asked.

"Yeah, why," Happy replied

"I need you to call Chibs tonight, if you will. I need him to call and talk to Lowen. I think my best chance of getting out as clean as possible, is if I talk to Chibs and Opie, and have them bring it to a vote while Clay and Tig are locked up," Jax explained.

"Yeah brother, I'll call him. You gotta call and check in with Tara," Happy nodded.

Jax would never be able to express how thankful he was for Happy's help. As unlikely an ally as the man was, he was a loyal friend until you crossed him, and Jax had no intentions of crossing him.

A guard brought a cardboard box and told Jax to pack his shit, he was being moved to a different block. Once he'd packed his letters and the pictures from Tara, he told the guard he was ready. He didn't care about the little TV or the other small things they'd bought to make the time pass in this hell hole. He clapped Happy on the back and thanked him for all his help.

The guard led Jax to the other side of the prison and placed him in a cell alone. It would be different, getting used to sleeping alone. Not having anyone to watch his back was scary as shit, but it was good to be out from under Clay's watchful eye.

On Monday, Jax was taken to a private infirmary room and was met there by a doctor he'd never seen before. "Hello, I'm Dr. Robert Rey, and I specialize in tattoo removal. I hear you have a big piece for me to work on today."

Jax pulled off his shirt and turned his back to the doctor. "Black is not as hard to remove as one would think. Reds are much harder. This should take three to four sessions to completely remove the ink. You may be left with some mild scarring, but for a new life, I think it's worth it."

"To take my girl and my sons out of harm's way, it's worth any amount of pain and scars," Jax said as he laid face down on the table that the doctor indicated.

"This will feel like snapping rubber bands. About the same as getting the tattoo felt," Dr. Rey explained.

Jax nodded and gritted his teeth as the doctor got started. Two hours later, Jax had just about had all he could take, when the doctor announced that he was done for the day. After spreading some cooling gel over Jax's back, the doctor placed a large bandage that he was informed would be removed by a guard in the morning, across his back. Jax thanked the doctor and went back to his cell to take a much needed nap. He didn't remember the tattoo hurting nearly as much when he got it, but he'd been high and piss drunk when he did, so that probably had something to do with it.

It was a long week, getting used to being alone in his cell, not having a brother to talk to, or to watch cartoons with. He actually missed Happy's constant laughter at the ridiculous cartoons they'd watched together. He just kept looking forward to the prize at the end of all this bullshit.

After week five of his gang rehab, he received a certificate proving his completion of the anger management portion of the class, as well as the certificate for completion of the conflict resolution part of the course. Jax was doing everything he could to make sure that he could get any grants possible when he got out of prison. He was taking another course to get his GED, since he'd never actually passed the test after he dropped out of high school. Piney had insisted that Opie pass his test, but Gemma never gave a shit, as long as Jax was in SAMCRO, she couldn't care less.

By the time Jax got out of Stockton, he was determined to have his GED, as many certifications as possible, and an acceptance letter to the community college in Portland, where he could take automotive shop courses, to get a degree in mechanics, and open his own shop. He was determined not to mess this up again. He'd been so close to losing everything so many times, but he refused to give up this time. He refused to fail his family again.


	4. Chapter 4

Saturday visitation time came around, and Jax wasn't expecting anyone, so he didn't even have his shoes on when the guard came and unlocked his door, "You've got a last minute visitor, Teller."

Jax crammed his feet into his shoes and followed the guard down to the visitation hall. It was different on this side of the prison. There were tables with real chairs that weren't bolted to the floor. The inmates on this side of the prison weren't known for rioting or attempting escape, because most of them were looking to get out sooner, rather than later.

Jax was surprised to see Chibs when he enter the room. The rest of the room was empty, so Jax sat across from Chibs and raised an eyebrow, "Wasn't expecting you brother."

Chibs nodded, "I came at the last minute. Opie and I talked to Lowen."

Jax nodded slowly, "How'd that go?"

"Jackie boy, you know you've got our support if this is what you really want. You know once you're out, you can't come back though. And the tattoos have to go."

Jax slowly rose from his seat, so that he wouldn't alarm the guards, and lifted the back of his shirt to show Chibs the faded ink. "I've got another treatment on Monday," he explained. "Some fancy plastic surgeon from L.A. donates his time and machine to remove former gang members tattoos. I'm also one week away from completing gang rehab, so that I can qualify for grants and shit to go to school and start my own business. I have my GED test next Friday, and I've actually been studying this time. I've got certificates for completely typing classes, anger management, and conflict resolution. I've made a resume, taken interview prep classes and been fitted for a suit that they're giving me when they let me out. I'm all in brother," Jax explained.

"Then we'll vote you out brother. No one will argue. I'll talk to Ratboy and Kozy, fill them in, and we'll get it handled," Chibs said, smiling at his brother, a boy he'd once thought of as a son. "Opie's thinking he might want out too."

"The old man going to let him do that," Jax asked.

"I think Piney would like nothing more than for his son to get the fuck out of the club before it destroys the rest of his family," Chibs said.

"Tell Ope we're going to Portland," Jax said. "But keep it between the two of you. I don't need mom or Clay following me."

"Aye brother, you've my word," Chibs said.

The guard stepped into the room and called for the end of the visit. The two men stood and Chibs hugged Jax. "I'm gonna miss you boy," he said roughly.

"Thanks Chibs, for everything. Come visit us sometime ok? We'd love it," Jax said as he hugged Chibs tightly.

Chibs left the visitation room and Jax went back to his cell feeling lighter than he'd felt in a very long time.

Monday morning came around and Jax was once again taken to the infirmary for his laser treatment. No introductions were needed this time, he just stripped off his shirt and laid down on the table. The doctor got to work and once again, two hours later Dr. Rey slathered his back with ointment and bandaged it.

It was now week six of his gang rehabilitation program and Jax was excited. Saturday there would be a graduation ceremony and Jax had invited Tara and the boys to attend. He couldn't wait to see them again, and for Tara to get another look at how serious he was about getting them out this time. This weeks classes were just a review of the other five weeks, as well as filling out applications for grants to start businesses, go back to school, or even moving expenses to get the former gang members out of their neighborhoods.

Jax spent two hours every night reading his GED study book. He'd already read over it twice, but he was determined to pass the test this time. He worked all the math problems in the math section each time he read through it, and he was pretty sure he had a basic understanding of algebra now. He wanted his GED so that he could get into that automotive course in Portland. He also wanted it so that one day, when the boys were older, he could tell them that it's never too late to fix a mistake. He'd turn his life around so that his boys would grow up right, with both parents alive and there for them.

Jax wanted family dinner every night. He wanted to go to his boys soccer games and cheer them on. He wanted to read stories to his sons. He wanted to marry Tara and have more children with her. He wanted to be there for birthdays and holidays, not locked away in prison or off on a run for the club. Every day, he got closer and closer to his goal, and every day he was a little bit happier to know that he was finally doing the right thing.

Friday rolled around quickly and after lunch, Jax was taken to the prison library where a state proctor was waiting to administer his GED test. He sat down at a table in the quiet room and took a deep breath. The proctor laid a booklet and pencil in front of him. The man watched his watched and then nodded at Jax to begin. It took him nearly two hours to finish the test, but he checked and double checked every answer before turning his booklet in to the proctor. A guard escorted Jax back to his cell and he knew it'd be a week before he got word about his scores. He was nervous as hell, because he was really hoping to pass on the first try this time.

Jax alternating doing push ups, and laying on his bunk until dinner time. He'd already perfected the letter to Tara and written it out as neatly as he could. He no longer needed to read his GED book, or study for his rehab classes, so he really didn't have anything to do. The library cart came around after dinner and Jax took a thick book on auto repair from the cart, hoping to at least distract himself until lights out, when he could fall asleep.

The next morning, after breakfast and a shower, Jax and the other inmates who were graduating the gang rehabilitation program, were led to a conference room and were sat in chairs across the back of a platform at the front of the room. There were only seven other inmates, besides Jax, so it would likely be a short ceremony, but Jax was thrilled when Tara came in with both the boys in tow. "Daddy!" Abel squeaked out when he saw his father sitting at the front of the room.

Jax smiled and waved, but shook his head at his son. Tara sat Thomas' carseat on the floor beside her chair, and settled Abel into her lap. Thomas looked to be sleeping, so Tara pulled out a book and distracted Abel until it was time for the ceremony to begin.

The Warden, the instructor from the program, and a couple of other people stood up and said long winded speeches, and then they called the men up, one by one, gave them their completion certificates and congratulated them. Once all eight men had officially graduated, they were given an hour to spend with their loved ones.

Jax made a beeline for Tara and the boys, He scooped Abel into his arms and hugged him tightly. Tara slid her arm around Jax's back and squeezed him, "I'm so proud of you."

He wrapped his arm around her and hugged her back, "Thanks babe."

The little family settled in at a small table in the corner. Thomas started to fuss as they sat down, and Tara removed him from his car seat and handed him to Jax. She quickly fixed a bottle and handed it over, so that Jax could feed his son for the first time. Jax smiled over at her as he rubbed the bottle on Thomas' lips and the tiny baby greedily sucked the nipple into his mouth.

While Jax was feeding Thomas, Ally Lowen entered the room and made a beeline for Jax and Tara. She slid into an empty seat and grinned at them. "I have more exciting news."

Jax and Tara both looked at her expectantly, so she continued. "I made an appeal on your behalf, just your behalf, not SAMCRO's," she clarified before continuing. "Since you completed your gang rehab in the minimum amount of time, you've had nothing but good behavior, you're in the process of removing your gang tattoos, and you just tested for your GED, the judge has agreed that provided you finish your tattoo removal and passed your GED test, he's shortening your sentence to ten months, instead of fourteen."

"Oh my God Jax!," Tara nearly shouted. "Thank you so much Ally!"

"I want your family safe as much as you guys do, and since Jax is doing the right thing here, I'm willing to go to bat for him wherever I can," Lowen said with a smile.

Jax grinned at his attorney and thanked her. He couldn't believe it. Things were looking like they might really work out.

"Mr. Telford contacted me and asked me to relay a message to you as well. He says 'Strike three, you're out,' and that you'd understand what he meant," Lowen added.

Jax laughed happily, "I'm out of SAMCRO. Chibs and Opie took care of it for me. Chibs promised he'd make sure I got voted out before Clay got out, so that it would be unanimous."

Tara gaped at Jax. "They're really letting you go?"

"We know mom and Clay are gonna be pissed, but a vote is a vote. Clay can't force me back in, and even if he does try, I have enough intel to put him in prison for the rest of his life, so I'm not worried about it anymore. We're almost free baby," Jax said, the smile never leaving his face.

After Lowen assured them that no one would be notified of his early release, his exit from the club, or his gang rehab, she stayed for a little while and played with Abel, and held Thomas. She'd been instrumental in helping Tara communicate with Jax during her pregnancy and Thomas' NICU stay, and they thought of her as almost a part of their family.

When the celebration was over, Lowen helped Tara get the boys out to her Jeep, and Jax went back to his cell with a smile on his face. It would only be another couple of months before he was out of there. He couldn't wait to be at home, in Portland, with Tara and his boys.


	5. Chapter 5

Jax was surprised to find a large manilla envelope on his bed when he returned from his third, and final laser session for his back, on Monday. He still had three to four more weeks to go, to remove the Reaper on his forearm, but he was thrilled to have his biggest representation of SAMCRO removed from his body. It finally felt like he was moving in the right direction. There was no going back from removing a tattoo that large, and he was more than glad to have it done.

He sat on his bed, opened the envelope and slid the contents out into his hands. His eyes widened when he realized it was his GED test results. He'd passed, and passed well. It seemed that his studying had paid off, and according to the information included, he'd qualified for a couple of scholarships. He couldn't believe it. He was actually a graduate now, fourteen years after he'd dropped out. There was a certificate that could be framed included in the envelope and an invitation to participate in the prison's annual GED graduation ceremony. He had no intention of sticking around for a graduation ceremony, but it was nice to be invited anyway.

Jax immediately requested a conference with his lawyer, and Lowen showed up later that same day. When he handed her the envelope, she quickly scanned the contents and then smiled at him, "Excellent news Mr. Teller."

"When can you take that to the judge," Jax asked eagerly. "And will you tell Tara for me. I don't get a phone call until tomorrow."

Lowen explained that she had an appointment with the judge and district attorney to discuss Jax's case the following week, and promised to call Tara. Then she dropped another bomb on him, "By the time you are done with your tattoo removal, you'll only have a week or two left on your new sentence. Tara is packing up the house as quietly as possible, though Chibs and Opie are helping her as much as they can. She'll be ready to go by the time you're out."

Jax's face broke out into a grin. It was happening, really happening. He was out of SAMCRO, his tattoos were being removed, and his family was ready and waiting for him. He once again marveled at his luck. "Sometimes I still can't believe she's waiting for me," he said with a soft smile on his face.

"You're a very lucky man Mr. Teller. Give her the world, she deserves it," Lowen said, returning Jax's smile before she stood to leave the room.

The next four weeks were a blur of laser tattoo removal, reading anything he could get on automotive repair, and Saturday visits from Tara and the boys, or Opie. Those visits were what he cherished, what he looked forward to. His best friend was having trouble coming to grips with leaving the club, and hadn't approached the table for a vote yet. "Do it before the rest of them get out of here man," Jax advised. "If you want out, Chibs'll get you out, but you know Clay won't let you go."

Opie nodded, "I know. I'm just...freaked out I guess. I've never done anything besides work on cars and bikes, ride my Harley and shoot a gun. How am I gonna support my kids," Opie asked.

"We'll help you man," Jax assured him. "I'll talk to Tara on the phone tonight and see what she says. She'll call you tomorrow."

Opie nodded, and the guard signaled for the end of visitation. Jax went back to his cell and contemplated what he'd say to Tara that night. Before he knew it, dinner was over and it was time to line up for the phones.

When it was Jax's turn, he dialed Tara's number and she picked up on the first ring, "Hey baby, I missed you," she said.

"I missed you too babe," he replied, smiling into the phone. He'd smiled more genuine smiles over the last couple of months than he had in years.

After Tara had put Abel on the phone and Jax talked to his babbling son, he quickly told her about his conversation with Opie. Tara was more than happy to talk with Opie, and even told Jax that Opie and the kids could stay with them, while he looked or a job or went to school. She explained that the hospital in Portland had already found them a house to rent, until they were ready to buy again, and it had four bedrooms. "Thomas and Abel can share, Ellie can have her own room, and Kenny can either share with Thomas and Abel, or Opie."

"You're amazing babe. So perfect," Jax said in awe of his wife's compassion. He still didn't know how he'd been lucky enough to have her. He knew that he was even luckier that she stuck around and he got to keep her.

"You can show me how amazing I am in a couple of weeks," she chuckled. "I miss you so much. Abel is growing so fast and it breaks my heart that you're missing it, but I am so, so proud of you Jax."

The phone beeped, signaling one minute until the end of his call. "I gotta go babe, I love you so much. Thank you for standing by me during all this."

"I love you Jax," Tara said as they had to hang up the phone.

Jax headed back to his cell quickly, getting out of the way of the next inmate who wanted the phone. He had no desire to sit in the common area and watch TV or play cards like he did some nights. All he could think of was his family. The Reaper on his arm was now gone, and he was two weeks shy of getting out of this place. He just had to make it through two more weeks and he'd be free. Lowen had already processed the paperwork so that he could go to Oregon upon release. It hadn't been hard to convince the probation board, since he'd completed all the classes and followed all the gang rehabilitation guidelines. He'd have twelve months of supervised probation and another six months of unsupervised probation, where his release could be revoked and he'd have to serve the additional four months, if he got into any kind of trouble, but Jax had no doubt that he'd never cross the law again. Hell, he didn't even want a speeding ticket. He had had enough of law enforcement for the rest of his life.

Jax stretched out on his bunk and pulled his stack of photographs out from under his mattress. He went through them slowly. Watching Thomas go from an extremely tiny infant, to a ten pound baby. Abel's hair grew and he got more teeth as the pictures went on. Jax was once again hit with just how much he was missing in his sons' lives, and couldn't wait to be home with them.

Two weeks later, on Wednesday afternoon, Jax went before the judge, who thoroughly reviewed his case. "You seem to be a changed man Mr. Teller, can you tell me what motivated you," the judge asked, looking over at him from her position at the front of the room.

"Your honor, when I got stabbed, the news made my pregnant girlfriend go into labor at twenty-eight weeks. My son Thomas is only alive because I fell in love with a girl who is infinitely smarter than me, and entirely too good for me. I wasn't smart enough to straighten up after my son Abel was born, but when Thomas was born, so tiny and stuck in that little plastic toaster, I realized I'd let him down. I'd let both my boys, and their wonderful mother down, and I had to do something to change that. I want my boys to grow up and follow their own dreams, not mine or my mother's. Abel is already so smart, and that's probably because of Tara too. She plays all these classical music CDs for him and sings the ABC's to him. I want him to use that intelligence for good. I don't care if he wants to be a good doctor or lawyer, or a good mechanic. I just want him to know that his intelligence is good, and he can use it to do whatever he wants. There's more in his future than bullets and guns and blood, but I know that if they see me in the middle of the club and the chaos that comes with it, that's what they'll want, just like I wanted to follow my dad's and stepdad's foot steps into the club."

The judge looked mildly impressed, "Prosecutor, does the state have any objections to Mr. Teller's early release, given the circumstances."

The prosecutor stood and replied, "No your honor. I believe Mr. Teller to be truthful and ready to turn over a new leaf. That's what the justice system is supposed to be about, so the \state has no objections."

"Then I'll sign these papers and Mr. Teller, you will be a free man tomorrow afternoon," the judge said with a warm smile. "Don't let me see you here again."

Lowen grabbed Jax and hugged him tightly, "You did it! I am so proud of you Jax!"

Jax was returned to the prison for the night. It would take about twenty-four hours for his paperwork to process, but Lowen promised to let Tara know, and to make sure someone that wasn't his mother was there to pick him up the next day. "I'll come myself, if it's a choice between me and your mother," Lowen promised.

Jax happily went back to his cell, with a smile on his face, when the transport van took him back to the prison. One last night didn't seem all that long, now that he'd completed a ten month sentence and would be home with his girl and his kids the next afternoon. He couldn't wait to hold his boys outside of the gray walls of the prison that had been his home for what seemed like forever. He hoped Abel never remembered these visits. Thankfully, Abel was so young, it was unlikely he'd remember his dad in prison orange.


	6. Chapter 6

Jax awoke the next morning with a smile on his face. After breakfast a guard brought him a box and told him to get his crap together. His paperwork had come through first thing that morning and he'd be released in the afternoon. Jax happily packed up his pictures and letters and waited for the guard to return to take him to processing.

Jax was given back his baggy jeans, rings and other personal items and was led to a small room in the processing center, to change into street clothes. When he realized that he'd been wearing a SAMCRO t-shirt when he entered the prison, he threw it in the hamper and wore his white prison undershirt instead. He threw on the blue flannel and white shoes he'd come to prison in, and looked at himself in the mirror. He was cleanly shaven, though his hair was getting shaggy. His face looked thinner than it had when he entered, but it wasn't a bad look. He knew his body was harder, since reading and exercise had been his only entertainment these past few months. He dropped the rings in his pocket, unsure of what to do with them just yet, especially since the SO NS rings had belonged to his father.

When he stepped out of the room that he'd changed in, Jax was presented with an envelope of all his certificates and a garment bag with the suit that had been paid for by the gang rehab program. He thanked the guards and was led out of the prison. He could see a black SUV at the end of the long walk across the yard, and hoped that it was Tara.

He was thrilled when he reached the end of the line and Tara jumped out of the Jeep to greet him. He hadn't seen her in a couple of weeks and she was a sight for sore eyes. She jumped into his arms and squeezed him tightly. He held on to her for dear life, like she'd disappear if he let go, and he wasn't letting that happen. "God I've been waiting to do this for ten months," he said roughly.

Tara nodded, burying her face in his shoulder, too overcome with emotion to find her own voice. She held him just as tightly as he was holding her, until Abel started shouting, "Daddy, daddy, daddy," from inside the SUV.

Jax and Tara let go of each other and Jax raced over to the car, opening the back door and tickling Abel's tummy. "How about we go get some lunch buddy," he asked yes son.

"Yaaaay," Abel said happily.

Jax and Tara climbed in and Tara drove them to a diner on the other side of Stockton, for burgers.

Once they were settled in a booth, Thomas' car seat resting beside Tara, while Abel sat in a high chair at the end of the table, Tara looked at Jax and spoke, "I have good news. The moving truck is packed. Your Harley is inside, and so is Opie's." She paused to let that sink in for a moment. "Opie sold most of his furniture, but is bringing the kids things, and some household stuff that didn't remind him so much of Donna. He's gonna buy a new bed when we get there."

Jax sat with his mouth slightly agape as Tara told him how she and Opie had handled everything. It turned out that there was a dermatologist in Charming that was willing to quietly remove Opie's tattoos in exchange for some mechanic work and the recommendation of a good place to pick up a black market Harley. Opie wasn't even on the record as a patient. The club had quietly voted him out, just as they'd done for Jax, and Opie was home free.

"Wow," Jax said, surprised at how much she had gotten done in the last few weeks. "I'm so proud of you babe."

"All I did was make some phone calls and pay the credit cards. You and Opie did the really hard work, with Chibs helping along the way," Tara said, shaking her head.

"Can we leave tonight," Jax asked. "Just get away from Charming and get a hotel somewhere?"

"I actually think that would be a fantastic idea. Get the hell out of Charming before your mother sees you, or someone else sees you and tells your mother," Tara agreed.

They ate their lunch of burgers and fries, Abel munching on some french fries and the tomato off Jax's burger. When they were all three full, and Thomas was still sleeping, they loaded back into the car and called Opie.

Opie agreed to meet them at their house with his truck and the kids. He'd be picking the kids up early from school, but it was for a good reason. They were finally getting the hell out of Charming. He knew the kids would be as happy as he was, for a fresh start.

They met up at Jax's house to make sure everything was closed up and clean, before they climbed into their respective vehicles and hit the road. Ellie opted to ride with Jax and Tara, sitting in the middle between Abel and Thomas.

A few hours later, when they'd crossed the California/Oregon border, they decided to stop for the night, and found a small, clean hotel. Tara paid for their rooms and the two families temporarily went their separate ways. A little bit later, there was a knock at Jax and Tara's door. When Jax opened it, Ellie and Kenny Winston were standing outside the door. Ellie spoke first, "Uncle Jax, dad says he'll take us to the pool if you'll come too," she spoke hopefully.

Jax laughed," Alright. Give me a few minutes to find my shorts and get Abel ready and we'll come get you."

The kids ran back across the hall to their room, cheering. Jax closed the door and went to the bathroom to tell Tara where he was going. She was soaking in a bathtub. Thomas was sound asleep in his portable crib, so Jax quietly dressed Abel and himself, and headed across the hall to collect the Winstons.

Kenny flung their hotel room door open and ran out to hug Jax, "Thank you Uncle Jax," he said excitedly.

Jax ruffled his hair as Opie and Ellie followed Kenny out the door. Opie grinned at Jax and said, "I figured Abel could use some tiring out, so he sleeps easy tonight, since it's your first night out of jail."

Jax laughed, "Thanks man."

The five of them walked down to the pool and the two men laughed when Ellie and Kenny took off at a run and cannon balled into the waiting water. They laughed harder when both kids came up looking like drowned rats. Opie jumped in the pool with a slightly smaller splash than the kids, and Jax handed Abel down to him, so that he could climb in the water too.

A little while later, while the guys and the kids were still splashing around in the pool, Tara made her way down and into the pool room, with Thomas on her hip. She sat down on the edge of the pool and dipped her feet in the water. She held Thomas under his arms and let him kick his feet in the cool water.

Opie was watching her, and motioned for Jax to give him Abel, and go get Thomas from Tara. Once Opie had Abel securely in his arms, Jax swam across the pool and scooped Thomas from his mother's arms and let his youngest son float in the water, supported by daddy's strong arms.

Tara watched, a happy smile on her face, as Jax and Opie played with all four kids. Kenny and Ellie were gently splashing Abel as he kicked his little feet at them. Jax's full attention was on Thomas, his eyes full of love and adoration. It was a surreal moment for her. Both of these men, former bad ass bikers, splashing in the pool with their kids, without a care in the world. They were no longer outlaws, or wanted men. They were just two fathers, spending an evening with their children. She didn't think she'd ever tire of the sight.

"Dad, I'm hungry." Kenny said suddenly, and Ellie agreed.

"Eat! Eat!" came Abel's agreement as well.

Thomas was content in his father's arms, but Tara knew that it wouldn't be long before he was ready to eat as well. She motioned for Opie to pass Abel to her, and took him over to the towel rack and pulled down a towel to dry her oldest son. Jax walked slowly to the shallow end and climbed out carefully with Thomas, wrapping the infant in a dry towel to keep him warm on the way back to the room. Opie, Ellie and Kenny also made their way out of the pool and wiped the excess water off their skin.

"I'll order some pizzas and you guys can come over to our room and we'll watch a movie after everyone is in dry clothes," Tara suggested.

"Aunt Tara, can we have ham and pineapple pizza," Ellie asked, Kenny nodding excitedly beside her.

Tara laughed, "Of course, I wouldn't forget your favorite pizza now would I?"

The two kids cheered and the group made their way back to the rooms. They went their separate ways when they got there. Tara took Thomas from Jax and went to the large sink outside the bathroom. She ran warm water in it, and laid Thomas in it, cradling his tiny head, carefully. "Why don't you take Abel in the shower with you, so both of you can get warm. After I get Thomas in his Pjs, and order the pizza, I'll bring clean clothes in for both of you," she suggested.

Jax took Abel in the bathroom with him and Tara could hear Jax talking and Abel giggling, and she couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. Listening to them interacting was so new, and amazing. Abel had been so young when Jax went into prison, she wasn't sure how it would go when Jax got out, but apparently Abel remembered his daddy.

Once Thomas was nice and warmed up, she wrapped him in a clean towel and quickly diapered and dressed him in some fuzzy pajamas, to keep him warm. She laid him on his back in the portable crib, and grabbed her cell phone to order pizza from the pizza chain that was on their room cards. Once she'd ordered three large pizzas, she gathered clothes and towels for her boys, and went in the bathroom. She found Abel with a shampoo mohawk and Jax with a soap bubble beard. She chuckled and caught their attention, both of them grinning like idiots.

"Come on boys, time to rinse off, the pizza will be here soon. Jax, have you got him? I need to go feed Thomas before Opie and the kids come over. He tends to turn red when I pop out my boob," she commented.

Jax chuckled and assured her that he could rinse, dry and dress himself and Abel without her help. He sounded much more sure than he actually felt, but he wouldn't let her know that. He was determined to learn to be a good father to his sons, so that hopefully in a year or two, Tara would agree to expand their family a little bit more. He had to admit, he wouldn't mind having a pretty little girl to spoil. He imagined she'd look just like Tara, with those beautiful green eyes, and he knew he'd be in trouble because he'd never be able to tell those eyes no.


	7. Chapter 7

After dinner and a movie in the Teller's room, Opie "innocently" suggested that Abel spend the night with them in "the cool bedroom." Abel, of course, went happily with his Uncle Ope and his cousins, and Jax grinned at Tara as the door closed behind them. "So, what should we do with our nearly child-free night," he asked, teasingly.

"I can think of a few things," Tara smirked.

Jax and Tara reconnected that night, in a way that they'd both needed so badly. First it was fast, hard and desperate, but it melded into something warm and sweet, lasting for a long time. They fell asleep in each other's' arms and slept better than they had in over a year. Sure, they'd gotten back together when the guys got back from Ireland last year, but it was nothing compared to the emotion of this night. They both knew that there was a future in their love; a bright future that didn't include blood and bullets, or kidnapping and death.

Early the next morning, they were woken by a knock at their door. Jax looked out the peephole and chuckled. A very exhausted looking Opie was holding Abel in his arms. When Jax opened the door, Opie held Abel out to Jax and said "He woke up and crapped his pants. He's all yours," before he turned around and went back in his own room.

Tara snorted into her pillow, and sat up to get the things to change Abel, but Jax had already grabbed the diaper bag and laid Abel down on the unused bed. She was surprised to see how efficiently he changed the wiggling toddler, "You're a natural at this," she commented.

Jax just smiled at her and tucked Abel back into his pajamas.

"Put him in bed with us, he'll go back to sleep. He does this a lot if he's exhausted and doesn't poop before bed," Tara explained.

Jax tucked Abel into bed between himself and Tara, and Abel snuggled right up against Tara's chest and went back to sleep. Tara smiled at her sleeping son and kissed the top of his head. "It won't be long until Thomas wants to be fed."

Taking that as his cue, Thomas began to wiggle and grunt, so Jax stepped to the portable crib and picked him up. His diaper was wet, so Jax quickly changed him too, before handing him off to Tara, who had scooted away from Abel enough to expose her breast for Thomas. Jax watched as his son latched and began feeding. He felt tears stinging his eyes watching the woman he loved so much, having such a bond with their son. Jax climbed back into bed and pulled Abel against him, so that he could continue to marvel at his girl and youngest son.

Tara smiled over at Jax. His eyes were heavy with sleep, and he had his arms wrapped around Abel. It was an adorable sight, another that she'd never tire of seeing. She reached her hand out and stroked his arm. He opened his eyes a little wider and returned her smile. "I love you babe," he said.

"I love you too," she said, moving Thomas to her other breast to finish his breakfast.

Jax reached out and slowly stroked the back of Thomas' head as they all fell back asleep. It was almost surreal, being here with his family, getting away from everything that had torn them apart.

A couple of hours later, Abel and Thomas both began to stir, waking their parents from their peaceful sleep. Tara sat up in the bed and stretched, pulling her tank top back up over her breasts, causing Jax to grin, "You sleep like that often." he asked.

Tara laughed, "Only when I fall asleep while Thomas is eating."

Jax took care of Abel's diaper and clothes, and got him a cup of water, while Tara got Thomas dressed and brushed her teeth. Once they had all completed their morning routines, Tara text Opie to see if they were awake, and soon the Winstons were piled into the Tellers' room too.

"They have donuts and coffee in the lobby," Tara said. "Is that ok with everyone?"

All the kids nodded, and Jax and Opie shrugged, so the two families gathered their overnight bags and headed down to the lobby. After an insane amount of donuts, and a considerable amount of coffee and milk, Tara checked them all out, and they loaded back into their cars to finish the drive to Portland.

Late that evening, after breaking for lunch, diaper changes and several potty breaks, they pulled up in front of the house that Portland Children's had rented for Tara. It was a large single story brick home in a quiet neighborhood. It had an attached two car garage that was big enough for Tara's car, Opie's truck and both motorcycles. From the front, they could see a privacy fenced back yard, which thrilled Jax. He was keen on nosy neighbors. There was a big front porch that Tara could imagine rocking chairs and kids toys on already, and the grass was thick and lush around the house.

Tara pulled into the garage so that her car would be out of the way for Opie to back the moving trailer. While Opie backed the trailer in and then he and Jax removed their motorcycles from the trailer and walked them into the garage, Tara took all the kids inside the house. She put her purse on the kitchen counter and settled Thomas and Abel in the living room with a few toys and left Kenny and Ellie to watch over the babies while she checked out the bedrooms.

It only took her a few minutes to decide where to put everyone. The master bedroom was obviously for she and Jax, the next largest room would be the boys room, since there were three of them, then Ellie, and finally the smallest room would be Opie's, because he didn't have much in the way of furniture or 'things' to need room for. She got a roll of painter's tape and a marker out of her purse and quickly wrote names on the bedroom doors. This house had a living room and a den, where their house in Charming had only had a living room, so they'd need more furniture, but she wasn't too worried for the time being.

Jax and Opie started bringing in Opie's furniture, so Tara scooped the boys up and shooed all the kids out into their new backyard. When they got there, they discovered a swing set, complete with an infant swing, slide, slider and an attached playhouse. Ellie and Kenny squealed and took off for the playset with Abel toddling behind them. Tara spread a small blanket that she kept in the diaper bag, out on the ground and laid Thomas on it. The grass was soft, so she kicked off her sandals and stretched out on the grass beside the blanket and watched Thomas play with his toes and stare up at the clouds.

Inside, Jax and Opie were making quick work of the moving trailer. On their fifth trip through the garage, they saw a couple of guys standing in their driveway, and went out to meet them. "What's up guys," Jax asked with a friendly smile.

"I'm John and my wife Beth and I live across the street," the dark haired man introduced himself.

"And I'm Robert. My wife Sara and I live next door to you guys," the red haired man added.

"I'm Jax and this is my brother Opie," Jax introduced them both. "My wife Tara and all the kids are in the backyard playing."

?We thought we'd come offer the new neighbors a hand at unloading," Robert offered.

"That'd be great," Opie said, "I wanna get this trailer turned in tonight."

Jax, Opie, Robert and John unloaded the moving trailer in record time, and Jax invited the men to bring their families over for a pizza dinner as a thank you. Both men accepted and headed back to their houses to collect their families while Opie returned the trailer and bought drinks.

By the time Opie returned with beer, soda, juice and milk, along with paper plates and plastic cups, John, Robert, and their families were already back at the new house. Robert and John had helped Jax put up both cribs and Kenny's bed in the boys room, and they were setting up Ellie's bed in her room. Sara and Beth had helped Tara unpack the kitchen and put away all the dishes, towels and cleaning supplies. Ellie and Kenny were in the living room with Abel and Thomas, keeping them happy while the adults worked to get the house liveable. Opie was impressed at how fast they had worked and how nice the neighborhood was.

Once Opie had dropped the bags in the kitchen and been shooed away by the women, he stepped into Ellie's room and spoke, "If one of you guys wants to help me in the master, we'll get Jax and Tara's bed set up too."

John stood and followed Opie across the hall where they unwrapped the frame and quickly snapped it together. They had just laid the box springs down when Jax and Robert poked their heads in. "Where the fuck are you gonna sleep Ope," Jax asked, realizing they hadn't unloaded a bed for Opie.

"I dunno. I couldn't bring that bed though. Too many memories," Opie answered. "I'll crash on the couch tonight and go buy a bed tomorrow," he shrugged.

"Nonsense," John spoke up. "We've got an air mattress you can use tonight. It's a king XL so your feet shouldn't hang off...much," he said with a laugh.

"Guys! Pizza's here," Tara called down the hall. She and Sara had answered the door and brought in the four large pizzas they'd ordered while Opie was gone. They were sitting on the table, waiting on everyone to dig in.

Beth helped Kenny and Ellie get their pizza while the guys were washing up. Sara cut a piece of cheese pizza into tiny bites for Abel and Tara was busy nursing Thomas.

The kids were just settling in at the coffee table with their pizza when the four men came into the kitchen and grabbed their own slices. "We've gotta get the beds made next guys," Jax said. "Tara has to check in at the hospital at nine in the morning, so she's gonna need sleep, and the kids are gonna need baths and bed pretty soon too."

Everyone nodded and made noises of agreement. They were all hungry after working hard to unload the house and start putting it together for the Tellers and Winstons.

Once most of the pizza was consumed, everyone slowed down their eating and a conversation picked up. It turned out that Tara had quite a bit in common with both Sara and Beth. Both women worked at Portland Children's Hospital. Sara was an oncology nurse practitioner, and Beth was an advance practice RN in the NICU. Tara and Beth would likely see a lot of each other once Tara started working. They learned that Robert worked in IT for an insurance firm, and John was the district manager for a chain of upscale restaurants.

Jax and Opie were both a bit nervous, given their neighbors jobs, but both Rob and John were impressed with their goal of owning a repair shop together. Both former bikers relaxed when they realized that they weren't going to be judged just because they didn't want office jobs. Robert even said, "Sometimes I wish I could work with my hands. I get restless staring at the computer all day."

Soon the majority of the pizza was consumed, and they decided to get back to work. Tara, Sara and Beth headed for the boys room to put the bedding in the cribs and on Kenny's bed, while Jax and John headed to the master, Opie went to help Ellie, and Robert cleaned up the pizza trash and put the leftovers in the fridge, while keeping an eye on Kenny and the little boys in the living room. It didn't take long before all the beds were made, pillows were fluffed and everyone started trickling out of the bedrooms.

Tara located the box of towels while Jax grabbed the box of toiletries and they divided the boxes between the bathrooms so that the kids could start bathing and getting ready for bed. It was nearly eight o'clock by the time they had finished. Ellie was in her room hanging up posters and setting her trinkets on top of her dresser while everyone was working in the other rooms, and then she followed the sounds of the adults talking, out into the living room. "I finished my room daddy," she said when Opie looked at her.

"Good job baby. Thank you for being so helpful today," Opie told his daughter with a big grin. He pulled her close and hugged her tight as everyone said goodnight to the two families that were already becoming their new friends.

Thomas had fallen asleep while playing with Abel and Kenny, so Tara carefully changed him into pajamas and put him in his crib while Jax bathed Abel in the master bathroom. Opie got Kenny in the shower first and washed his hair for him, before leaving him to wash the rest of himself. Ellie sat on the couch, looking out the window at their new neighborhood while she waiting on her turn in the shower. She loved the clean, normal looking streets around them. She especially loved that she didn't have to wonder if her dad was going to come home at night, or if he was going to die, anymore.

Once all the kids were showered and in bed, it was nearly nine, and Jax, Tara and Opie collapsed onto the couches in the living room. They were all three exhausted, but none of them wanted to go to bed just yet. Then there was a knock on the door. They all looked at each other and frowned. Opie stood and looked out the peephole, laughing when he saw John standing outside with a big wad of what could only be an air mattress in his arms. Opie pulled the door open and grinned, "Thanks John. I'd forgotten you were bringing it over."

John laughed and handed him the mattress and pump, "Do you need sheets? Beth said she's got an extra set you can borrow if you do."

"We got him covered," Tara called from the couch. "I know where the box of linens is. Thank you so much John!"

John assured him that it was their pleasure to help, and then headed back to his own home. Opie closed and locked the door, and headed back to his room to set up the air mattress. Tara found him sheets, and dropped them in his room, along with an extra blanket, before she headed into her room to shower.

A few minutes later, Jax joined her in the large shower, but they were both too exhausted for much more than washing each other with a little heavy petting. Once they were both clean, they stepped out and dried off, going their separate ways to finish their nightly routines. Jax checked on the boys while Tara plugged in the alarm clock and set it for seven the next morning. She heard Opie turn off the air pump, so she stepped down the hall to see if he needed any help, but by the time she got there, he had already got the fitted sheet on, so they said their goodnights and she went back to her own room, where she found Jax already waiting on her in bed.

She curled into him, after turning off the lights, and sighed happily. "We did it."

"Yes we did baby, now let's get some sleep, I'm beat," Jax said as he nuzzled his face into the back of her neck.


	8. Chapter 8

Tara was up and sipping a cup of coffee, sitting on the couch, when there was a quiet knock at the front door. She peeked through the peephole and smiled when she saw Sara on the other side. She opened the door and said 'good morning' to her new friend.

"I went to Voodoo Donut this morning for breakfast, and since you guys just moved to the area, I knew you'd probably never had them, so I grabbed two dozen variety donuts for you guys too. They make the best donuts in Oregon," Sara explained, "You didn't meet our kids last night because they were both at band practice, but their favorite place to go is Voodoo Donut, so I'm sure all of your little ones will like them too."

Sara handed the two boxes of donuts to Tara, who carried them to the kitchen counter and sat them down. Sara ran back to her SUV, but came back quickly with two grocery bags. "It's not much," she interrupted when Tara started to protest, "But I know how kids and men are, and I know those donuts and that leftover pizza won't last until noon. It's just cereal, bananas, apples, peanut butter, jelly and bread. That'll hold them over until you get back from your meetings at the hospital and can actually get to the grocery store."

Tara shook her head and smiled. She had never had neighbors as nice as the people she was living around right now. Moving to Portland was proving to be the best decision that they'd ever made. "Thank you Sara, I really appreciate it."

Sara gave Tara a quick hug and headed back out to her car to take her own donuts home to her family.

Jax came out of the hallway, shirtless and in a pair of basketball shorts, scratching his head, "Who was that," he asked.

Tara explained what Sara had done, and Jax smiled a dopey smile, "This is a great neighborhood. I don't think anyone in Charming would do that for their neighbors, let alone us."

Tara agreed, "I'm loving Portland more and more by the minute."

Kenny came out of the boys bedroom, "Abel is awake and talking to himself, and Thomas is sucking on his fingers," the young boy said with a big yawn.

Tara pointed Kenny toward the boxes of donuts and she and Jax headed down the hall to get the boys up and change their diapers. "Only one," she told the boy. "Wait until we're back or your dad is up before you get another."

Kenny nodded and started looking over the strangely shaped and oddly decorated donuts in the box. He'd never seen anything like them before. He saw one donut that was covered with bacon and quickly grabbed it. He took a bite, and was doing a little happy dance when he saw his dad and sister walk into the kitchen. Opie chuckled and Ellie giggled when Kenny froze, mid booty shake. "Good donut, son?" Opie asked.

Kenny nodded and continued to devour his donut as Ellie and Opie examined the donuts. Jax and Tara rejoined them in the kitchen with both boys, Thomas attached to Tara's breast and Abel wiggling in Jax's arms. Jax sat Abel in his high chair and broke a purple donut into small pieces and put them on the high chair tray.

Tara ate a couple of donuts as she filled Jax and Opie in on Abel and Thomas' schedule. She had pumped a bottle of milk in the middle of the night, and would pump again after Thomas finished his breakfast, so that they would hopefully have enough milk to last until she got home. If not, she'd put a can of formula on top of the fridge. Thomas didn't really like formula, but if he was hungry, he would take a couple of ounces until he could find mama again. She told them the boys nap times and what they usually did in between.

When Thomas was done feeding, Tara passed him to Jax and hurried to their room to shower before she headed to Portland Children's. She was wearing her bra, panties and dress pants when she walked out of the bathroom and found Opie standing in their bedroom doorway, talking to Jax, who had Thomas in one arm and was digging in the top drawer of the dresser with the other hand.

"Oh shit," Opie said as he turned away.

Jax cracked up laughing when he saw his wife and best friend with matching beet red faces. "She's more covered now than in her bathing suit, Ope. Chill."

Tara stepped back in the bathroom and quickly put on her shirt and buttoned it. "Sorry Opie," she said as she came back to the bedroom.

Opie chuckled nervously, "It's alright, just caught me by surprise."

Tara puttered around the bedroom, finishing her morning routine as quickly as possible. She kissed Jax, Thomas and Abel, and then ran out the door. Then she ran back in and grabbed her purse, "Love you guys," she called as she finally left the house for the day.

Jax set up the two playpens in the living room, and Opie sent Kenny and Ellie outside to play after they'd demolished a dozen of the donuts, and the guys got started on the living room. They unwrapped the TV and mounted it to the wall, then settled the DVD shelves on either side, anchoring them to the wall as well. Jax unboxed the DVDs and placed them on the shelves while Opie took the drill and went to each bedroom and started anchoring dressers to the wall. They didn't want to overlook any possible safety hazard with so many kids in the house.

Once Jax had finished the DVDs and Opie had finished the dressers, they took the book shelves to the den and anchored those to the wall as well. They put all of the kids books on the lower shelves, so that they could reach what they wanted, and then put all of Tara's textbooks and other books on the higher shelves. Currently the book shelves were the only furniture in the den, but that would change soon.

Jax checked on the kids while Opie went to his room to deflate the air mattress that John had loaned him. He was determined to find a bed today. Time had flown by while the men were working and the kids were playing. Jax was feeding Thomas a bottle, and Abel had Cheerios on his high chair tray when Opie came out of the bedroom with the air mattress folded neatly in his arms. "Ellie and Kenny want you to make their PB&J sandwiches when you're done with the mattress," Jax told him. "Apparently you're the king of peanut butter and jelly."

Opie chuckled. "They like mine because I put jelly on both pieces of bread and then kinda squish the peanut butter in the middle. No one else uses that much jelly."

Jax laughed, "Leave it to you to make a PBJ even sweeter."

Opie nodded and went to the counter, pulling out everything he needed to make sandwiches for his kids. Once he'd put them together and cleaned up the counter, he called Kenny and Ellie inside to eat. He sent them to wash their hands, telling them that their sandwiches would be on the table when they were finished. He went over to John's to return the air mattress.

When he got back, Jad had put Thomas and Abel down for their naps. Kenny and Ellie were stretched out in the den floor, quietly reading. He was so thankful that Donna had raised their kids with respect and manners. He knew he couldn't take credit for it, since Kenny was six months old, and Ellie was two when he'd been sent to prison for five years, but Donna had done an amazing job with them.

Opie found Jax in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher and wiping the counters. "John recommended a furniture store a couple of miles over, for me to find a sturdy bed and good mattress set," he told his best friend. "Figured we could take Abel, Ellie and Kenny and head over there after Tara gets home. Give her some alone time with Thomas. She hasn't had any of that since he came home from the hospital."

Jax nodded. "We can take the Jeep and have the store deliver the furniture. Maybe I'll find something to sit on that we can put in the den too."

Opie helped Jax finish cleaning the kitchen and he'd just taken out the trash when he saw Tara's Jeep coming up the street. He checked his watch and realized it was three in the afternoon already. When he got back inside, he found Jax holding a squalling Thomas while trying to make the baby a bottle, with Abel pulling on his pant leg and whining. Opie laughed and picked Abel up before telling Jax that Tara and the magical boobs were pulling in the garage right them. The look of relief on Jax's face was comical.

Tara could hear Thomas' cries from the garage, so she was unbuttoning her top as she walked through the door. She gave Jax and knowing smile as she flipped open the cup of her nursing bra and Thomas latched on, his cries immediately silenced.

"See, I told you," Opie said with a grin. "Magic boobs."

Jax fixed Abel a cup of juice and handed it to the toddler. He wiped a hand over his face and said, "Babe, I don't know how you do it."

"Magic boobs," Tara replied with a laugh.

Opie went to get Ellie and Kenny from the den and sent them to put on their shoes. Jax took Abel to his room and got him dressed to go out. When he came back out, he explained their plan to Tara, and her eyes lit up. She was thrilled to have some alone time with Thomas. It wasn't that she didn't love Abel, she just wanted some alone time with each of her boys. She got lots of alone time with Abel, while Thomas was napping, but her alone time with Thomas was limited to middle of the night feeds.

Once the kids were ready, Jax took Thomas' seat out of the car and loaded everyone else in. Tara watching them leave, and then sat back on the couch with Thomas on her chest, and just enjoyed the smell of of her sweet boy.


	9. Chapter 9

Just before seven that evening, a delivery truck pulled in, and the delivery men unloaded a full bedroom suite for Opie. No one had managed to get to the grocery store, so while the delivery guys were working, Tara ordered a bunch of Chinese food for delivery. The food arrived just as the delivery guys were finishing up, so Tara tipped them both and locked the door behind them.

Thomas had just had his last feeding of the night and was in bed, and Abel was getting sleepy. Tara used a pair of chopsticks to serve Abel some of the lo mein noodles, before she called Ellie and Kenny to help her make their plates. Once the kids had what they wanted, Tara took the rest of the lo mein, a bowl of egg drop soup and a few crab rangoon, and let the rest to Opie and Jax. She settled in front of the TV and turned on the DVD that Ellie had picked out and put in. _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ came to life on the screen, and Abel squealed as Johnny Depp appeared on screen.

"He's cute in real life, but he's kinda creepy in this movie," Ellie commented.

"I agree," Tara replied as she swallowed a mouthful of soup.

"How do you eat with those sticks Aunt Tara," Kenny asked.

"Yeah, Aunt Tara, how do you eat with those sticks," Opie echoed and he and Jax walked into the living room with their plates.

Tara laughed and told them both, "I'll teach you next time we order. I'm too tired and hungry right now." Kenny seemed satisfied by that answer and went back to eating his rice and sesame chicken with his fork.

As they ate, Tara told them how her day went. She'd met the other pediatric surgeons, and most of the surgical teams and nurses that she'd work with. Her officially start date was the following Monday, but she was welcome to come in and set up her office anytime between now and then, and familiarize herself with the staff and the procedures of the hospital. Her official title was Pediatric Surgeon, and she'd be doing a variety of surgeries, but her specialty was neonatology so she would be booked for those surgeries before any others.

To say Jax was proud of Tara would be an understatement. She handled everything he'd thrown at her, with more grace than he deserved, and her strength far surpassed his. He was brought out of his thoughts of admiration by Tara's ringing cell phone. "It's Gemma," she said, her face paling slightly.

"Let it ring," Jax said. "I'm not ready to talk to her."

A few moments after the phone stopped ringing, it dinged, alerting Tara that a voicemail had been left. She sighed and put it on speaker so that they could all hear it. Gemma's angry voice came out loud and clear, "Don't ignore me Tara! Why the fuck is there a for sale sign in your front yard? And Opie's too? What's my son going to think when he finds out you've run off with his best friend, you fucking whore. You better call me back and tell me what the fuck is going on before I find you myself." The message stopped with a loud click and when Tara looked up at Jax, his face was red and there was fire in his eyes.

He held out his hand and Tara passed him her phone. He hit the button to return his mother's call, and then put it on speaker. Opie sent Ellie and Kenny to brush their teeth as the phone began to ring. Gemma answered on the first ring, "Where the fuck are you and my grandkids, you whore?"

"Nice to talk to you too, Mother," Jax said through clenched teeth.

"Jackson," Gemma said, surprise evident in her voice.

"Yeah mom, it's me. Why the fuck are you being a bitch to Tara when you don't even know what's going on? And Opie? Do you really think Opie would run off with my old lady? Have you lost your fucking mind," Jax asked angrily.

Gemma spluttered, "She ran off with my grandkids, without saying a word! What else am I supposed to think?"

"Oh I don't know, that we're moving? Maybe that Tara finally decided to get the boys out of the cesspool that is Charming California? Whatever you thought, you should have gotten the facts before you opened your fucking mouth," Jax shouted at his mother.

"Jax, the kids are sleeping," Tara reminded him, placing her hand on his arm gently. Opie watched the couple with interest, happy that Jax had defended him as well.

Jax nodded and took a deep breath. "I've got four kids in my house right now and two of them are sleeping. I'm not going to fight with you, so stop insinuating that Tara did something wrong, or I'm going to hang up, understood?"

"Four? Why do you have four kids in your house? And where is your house? How are you out of prison before anyone else? Does Clay know you're out. He's gonna be pissed that you're doing all this shit behind his back," Gemma fired questions at him.

"I have my sons, Kenny and Ellie Winston. Where my new home is will remain within my family until I know who can be trusted. I'm sure Clay has gotten word of my early release by now," Jax began answering. "I don't give a fuck if Clay gets mad because he is no longer my concern. I have been voted out of SAMCRO on friendly terms and there is nothing you or Clay can do to change that. I'm on good terms with at least six voting members of SAMCRO, and I'm sure there are at least two more that would see things my way."

"What the fuck do you mean you're out of the club," Gemma shouted.

"Lower your voice and lose that tone, or I will hang up mom," Jax warned.

"And if he doesn't hang up, I'll hang it up for him," Opie rumbled from across the room.

"Opie? Why is Opie with you," Gemma asked suddenly.

"He's out too. We're out of the club, out of Charming. We're done with the blood, bullets, death and destruction that SAMCRO brings. Donna's dead and I don't want that for Tara. I got stabbed in the back in fucking prison, I'm lucky to be alive, and I don't want that for my sons. They deserve more, mom," Jax tried to explain, but he knew Gemma was having none of it.

"This club is your legacy! Your sons legacies! Opie's legacies! Kenny's too! Have you lost your mind? That fucking gash has got your head so tangled up, she has since she waltzed back into town! Now she's got Opie too," Gemma fumed.

Tara opened her mouth to speak up, but Jax held up his hand, "I'm done talking to you tonight Gemma. You've insulted Tara in every other sentence, and I'm done. If you want to talk like an adult, you can call back tomorrow." Jax hung up the phone before Gemma could say another word.

"Thank you baby," Tara said with a small smile. "You have no idea how much that meant to me."

"I should have shut her up years ago, but I never realized what a bitch she was being to you. I'm sorry babe," Jax answered, looking in her eyes.

Tara saw the truth in his eyes, and it brought tears to her own. She couldn't believe just how far Jax had come in the last few months. Between getting stabbed and Thomas' early birth, Jax had been shocked into rethinking his life, and he'd come out on the other side, a much better man.

"I'm gonna go smoke," Opie said, rising off the couch, "Anyone coming?"

"I haven't smoked in ten months dude," Jax said with a laugh, "Not gonna restart now."

Opie nodded and looked to Tara. She shook her head, so he nodded and headed outside. He was standing on the front porch, the only light coming from the cherry of his cigarette, when he saw John step out of his front porch and light up too. Opie stepped down off the porch and walked over to John. "Busy day?" the other man asked.

"Did a lot of childproofing and some unpacking. Tara had work at the hospital," Opie answered. "Beth and Sara did an amazing job on the kitchen last night. We didn't have anything to unpack in there. We're nearly set up already."

"Good, good. I'm glad to hear you're all settling in well. What brings you guys to Portland anyway?" John asked.

Opie laughed, "It's a long story, but the overview is, Jax and I are turning over new leaves. My wife was killed because of the kind of life we were living. Jax didn't want that for Tara, and none of us wanted the kids growing up the way we did, so Tara worked with Jax's attorney and her supervisor at the hospital in Charming, and found the job here in Portland. We moved here the first moment we were able."

"You'll have to tell me the long version later," John said. "If you ever need help staying on the right path, no matter what that path is, you obviously know where I live."

"Thanks man, we really appreciate it. You have no idea how nice it is to be welcomed into a neighborhood, instead of having people shove their kids inside like we're a bunch of perverts or something."

"You're here for a fresh start, and I've got no problem giving you one," John replied simply.

"Thanks man. I gotta get back inside and help clean up dinner," Opie grinned at John.

"Later man," John said with a wave, as he headed back toward his own front door.

Opie went back to their house and found that Jax had went up to shower, and Tara was cleaning the kitchen. "Need a hand," he asked.

"Sure," she said with a smile. "You can put the plates in the dishwasher after I rinse them."

Tara and Opie worked together and had the dishes done and the counters and table wiped down in no time. By the time Jax got out of the shower, Opie and Tara were kicked back in the living room, waiting for him so that they could start another movie.


	10. Chapter 10

Later that night, Tara was woken up by a whimper. She got out of bed and put her feet in her slippers before she realized that the noise wasn't coming from the baby monitor that was in the boys room. She looked over at Jax and he was quiet, so she went out in the hallway to investigate.

She turned down the hallway toward Opie's and Ellie's rooms, and peeked in to check on Ellie first. The young girl was sound asleep, and just as Tara was backing out the door, she heard the whimper again, much more clearly, and it was coming from Opie's room. The door was cracked slightly, so Tara pushed it open and what she saw broke her heart.

Opie was still asleep, but tears slid down his face and he was hugging a pillow tightly as he whimpered. It wasn't hard to figure out what Opie was dreaming of as he slightly rocked back and forth in the bed. Tara went to the bed and sat on the edge, smoothing Opie's wild hair our of his distraught face and spoke softly, "Opie. Wake up Opie. It's ok. It's Tara. Wake up,"

Tara continued to talk in soothing tones until Opie woke up. He gasped for air and sat up, looking around frantically, when he came awake. Once he was awake and realized he'd been dreaming, he turned away from Tara, embarrassed that she'd seen him like that. "Opie, it's ok. Jax has nightmares too. We all do. We've been through a lot. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Opie wiped a big hand down his face and spoke quietly, "It was happening all over again. I swear I was in the middle of the street, holding her body."

Tara wrapped her arms around the big man and tugged him to her. She petted his hair as he sank down on the bed and cried into her lap. She spoke soothing nonsense words to him and rubbed his back as he cried. She suspected no one had ever really given him time to cry after that first night, in the middle of the street.

After what had likely been a half hour, Jax peeked into the bedroom with a squirming Thomas in his arms. "He's hungry," he whispered to Tara. She nodded and smoothed Opie's unruly hair back again. "Ope, I've gotta go take care of Thomas. You know where to find me if you need me."

Tara slid out from under Opie and took Thomas from Jax. She went to the den and sat down on one of the big bean bag chairs. Jax sank down beside her as she got Thomas in place to nurse. "What was that," he asked quietly. "Is Opie ok?"

"I don't think he ever grieved after Donna died. Between the arrangements and all the club shit that followed, he didn't have time. Not really anyway. He never dealt with the loss. I woke up because I thought one of the kids was whimpering, but it was Opie. He was crying and hugging a pillow like he was holding her body," Tara explained as Thomas latched on and began his middle of the night feeding.

"Damn," Jax said. "Damn."

Tara stroked Thomas' little scalp. Their youngest son was nearly bald, and she loved feeling the small, downy like hair on his tiny head.

"I'm gonna go check on him," Jax said, carefully rising from his seat beside Tara. She nodded again and Jax left the room and headed down the hall to check on his best friend.

Jax found Opie laying on his side, facing the door, eyes open, when he walked down the hall. He stepped into the bedroom and asked, "Hey man, you ok?"

Opie nodded, "I was just waiting for you and Tara to go back to bed before I got up, so I didn't disturb you. Not really in the mood to lay here alone in the dark right now."

Jax nodded, "I get that man. I don't know what I'd do without Tara. When I have those nightmares, it's like I'm living the shit over again and it terrifies me."

Opie grunted in response and Jax told him he'd be right back. Jax jogged down the hall to find Tara putting her clothes back in place and getting ready to get up off the bean bag. He took Thomas from her and held out his hand to help her up. Once he'd pulled her up, he asked, "Would it be weird for you if Opie slept in our bed tonight? I know it sounds weird but he and I used to sleep in the same bed when one of us would have nightmares. We'd just leave our bedroom windows unlocked and the other one would walk over and climb in."

Tara shrugged, "It's a little odd, but it won't bother me. Who's he gonna sleep beside? You or me?"

"Whichever he wants, I guess," Jax chuckled. He handed Thomas back to Tara and headed down the hall to get Opie.

"I'm going to ask questions tomorrow when I'm more awake," she whispered as she stepped into the boy's room to put Thomas in his crib.

Jax laughed and continued on to Opie's room, telling his friend to get up, "You're bunking with us tonight, ugly."

Opie snorted and shook his head, "Just like old times, except we never had a girl between us before, huh?"

"Well, maybe not 'just' like old times, but yeah," Jax chuckled. "Tara already suspects and I didn't even hint at what we used to get up to."

Opie shook his head again and gathered his pillows. He followed Jax to the master bedroom and found Tara already waiting in the middle of the bed. She winked at them and said "Look, there's enough of me for both of you."

Jax broke out into a devilish smile, so she added, "To snuggle Jackson. Don't get any ideas this late in the night."

Opie raised an eyebrow at Jax and grinned as they slide into bed on either side of Tara. She snuggled into Jax's chest, laying her head against his heart. Opie attempted to get comfortable without touching Tara, because he wasn't sure how this was supposed to work. Tara didn't like the space, so she reached back and grabbed Opie's arm, pulling it across her and resting it on Jax's side. Opie slid closer to Tara and got comfortable against her back.

Jax felt Opie's hand rest against his hip and couldn't help but smile. It'd been a long time since he'd felt the weight of his best friend holding him as they fell asleep.

The rest of the night was quiet. Thomas and Abel stayed asleep, Ellie and Kenny were both sleeping heavily, and no one in the master bedroom had any more nightmares.

The next morning Ellie went looking for her dad and couldn't find him, so she knocked on her aunt and uncle's bedroom door. She heard Tara call, "Come in," quietly, so she carefully pushed the door open, and her eyes got wide when she sat her father in bed with Uncle Jax and Aunt Tara, his arm thrown over them both. Jax and her father were still sound asleep, but Tara was awake, snuggled happily in the two men's arms.

"Why's dad in here," Ellie asked. "I was looking for him."

"He had a nightmare and wasn't feeling well, so we told him he could sleep with us. Physical contact is very soothing," Tara explained quietly. "Did you need something sweetheart?"

"I'm kinda hungry, but I just wanted to spend some time with just dad," Ellie admitted.

Tara carefully \rolled over to face Opie and shook him a little. "Opie wake up," she whispered.

Opie came awake slowly, until his eyes popped open when it registered where he was sleeping, "Tara..." he said, embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it. Ellie needs some dad time. Go get dressed and take her to breakfast. I'll take care of Kenny, we're just going to go to the grocery store today," Tara quickly explained.

Opie nodded and crawled out of the bed. He suggested Ellie go get dressed while he did the same, and then meet him in the living room. The girl happily ran back to her room and Opie headed for his. "Thanks Tara," he whispered before gently closing the master bedroom door.

While Opie spent the morning with Ellie, taking her to breakfast at Ihop and then to Target to pick out some new hair accessories for her new school, Jax and Tara took Kenny, Abel and Thomas to the grocery store. They'd had a few canned and dried goods, as well as toddler friendly snacks leftover from Charming, but there wasn't much else. Since Portland Children's had covered Jax and Tara's moving expenses, they'd spent very little money on the drive up, just paying for the hotel and the gas in Tara's car. It gave them freedom to stock up on what they needed, and buy things in bulk sizes, since they were now a family of seven, instead of the three that they'd been ten months ago.

When they got back out to the Jeep, Tara started laughing. When Jax gave her a funny look, she pointed to the small cargo space, "You're going to have to call Opie and hope he's done with his date with Ellie because all of this is not fitting back there. They had two baskets completely full of groceries, save for Jax's basket which had Abel sitting in the child seat. Tara was wearing Thomas in a wrap, so her cart even had the child seat full of groceries.

Jax chuckled and called Opie, who had just left Target with Ellie and he came straight to the store to help Jax and Tara get all the food home. Once they'd fit about half their purchases into the back of Tara's Jeep, Opie pulled in and they loaded the rest into the back of his truck.

Once they were home, Ellie and Kenny helped carry in the groceries and then went outside to play while Jax put Abel down for a nap and Tara nursed Thomas. Opie started putting the food away, beginning with the cold stuff, since it was obvious where it went, and he wasn't sure where Tara wanted the rest.

Tara and Jax came back out and the three of them got the groceries situated in the kitchen and settled down in the living room.

"Hey babe," why don't you go take a nap? Opie and I will watch the kids and wake you if Thomas needs to be fed," Jax suggested.

"That would be nice. This is my last day to be lazy, I have to go into the hospital tomorrow and work on my office and meet some more people," she agreed. She gave Jax a kiss on the lips and gave Opie a peck on the cheek before she headed upstairs.

"What was that," Opie asked once Tara was out of sight.

"No idea," Jax said. "But we can just roll with it if you want."

Opie's eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline, "What do you mean, roll with it?"

"You and I spent a lot of quality time together over the years, I'm not gonna push Tara, or you for that matter, for anything, but if it happens, I'm not complaining," Jax said easily. He rose from the couch and headed for the back door to check on Ellie and Kenny, leaving a gobsmacked Opie on the couch. Ellie was sitting in the swingset playhouse, reading a book, while Kenny was hanging upside down on the monkey bar. "Hey Ellie," he called out the door, "Where did Kenny go, and when did the chimp get here?"

Kenny and Ellie both laughed and Kenny started making monkey noises at Jax. Jax laughed and asked if they were hungry. When they both said yes, he pulled out the things he'd need for grilled cheese and quickly made a plate full of sandwiches before calling the kids in for lunch. Just as he sat the plate on the table, Abel woke up from his nap, so Jax changed his diaper and brought him out to his high chair, giving him small pieces of a grilled cheese and a cup of juice.

The small family, minus Tara and Thomas, sat around the table talking and eating until the sandwiches were gone. Kenny was nervous about starting a new school the next day, but Ellie was excited to go to a school where half the kids wanted to be her friend to get close to the club and the other half were terrified of the club and wouldn't even talk to her. They were all looking forward to starting their new routines the next day.


	11. Chapter 11

Kenny and Ellie both ended up loving their new school, and Tara had an excellent day at the hospital. Jax and Opie spent the day at home with Thomas and Abel. This became their new Monday through Friday routine for the rest of the school year, and it worked out well. The intersection at the corner of their property was the bus stop, so Opie watched from the front porch as they waited for the bus. Jax was usually up with Thomas by then, and they'd sit in the den on one of the bean bag chairs, Thomas happily drinking away on the bottle of breastmilk that Tara had pumped right before she left. He often fell asleep on Jax's chest during his burping, and they'd stay that way until Abel woke up.

Opie still had nightmares and he often crawled in bed with Jax and Tara when they were bad. Ellie and Kenny had become used to finding their father in the master bedroom when they woke up, and didn't think anything of it anymore. Nothing had really went on between the three, other than a lot of snuggling, and Opie becoming less embarrassed when he woke up pressed against Tara with a morning erection. Once in awhile Jax would end up in the middle and wake to the same thing, but it never really bothered him. He'd been close with Opie his entire life.

Gemma had been surprisingly quiet, and there had been no word from SAMCRO in the months since their move. All three adults were waiting for the pin to drop and everything to explode, but it had yet to happen.

Both houses in Charming had sold, and they had decided to just open two savings accounts and let the money draw interest until they needed to start house hunting. It was six months after their move and the kids were just getting out of school, when Tara came home absolutely bubbling with happiness. "Guys, I have news that I think you're both going to love," she practically squealed.

Opie and Jax both looked up from the auto repair manuals they were studying in preparation for their classes in two months. "What's up babe," Jax asked.

"I got called to administration today because they wanted to talk to me about this house. The owner, who is actually a hospital administrator, has decided to sell, and wanted to give us the first chance to make an offer on it. We could stay here," she excitedly explained.

"I'll go check on the kids," Opie said. "This is something you two need to discuss."

"Sit down Ope," Jax said. "You're a part of this family now."

Opie sat back down on the couch as Tara scooped Thomas from his bouncy seat and began kissing all over his face. The eight month old boy was squealing happily as she showered him with affection. Jax smiled as he watched his wife and son, "Everyone loves this house and the neighborhood and schools, and it's big enough for all of us. I don't see why we shouldn't."

"Don't factor us into where you guys want to live the rest of your lives," Opie tried to protest.

"Opie, unless you plan on getting married and moving anytime soon, which I honestly hope you aren't, we will absolutely be factoring you, Kenny and Ellie into the equation. You are important to us. We love you. We want you here with us for as long as you'll stay," Tara said honestly.

"Yeah man, you're staying," Jax agreed.

Opie shook his head before admitting defeat and agreeing that the house was perfect for the seven of them, for now. "If you guys want more kids..." He was once again cut off by Tara, "I already thought of that. We'll just move the bookshelves and you boys can close off the den, if we need another bedroom."

"Will you at least let me help pay for it," Opie asked. He'd probably not admit it for some time, but he was glad that the Teller's wanted his family to be a part of theirs. He hadn't felt so cared for since before Donna's death.

Tara laughed at him as she shared a look with Jax. "As long as you let us pay you back if you decide to move out later on."Opie agreed and Tara left the room to call the relator on the card that the administration at the hospital had given her.

"You know, she really wants you to stay bro," Jax said, shooting Opie a pointed look.

"Really," Opie asked sarcastically. "I didn't notice."

"No idiot. She wants you to stay with us. In this house. In our bed. She's just afraid to admit it. I've seen the way she looks at you Ope. She looks hopeful when she wakes up and you're with us in the morning, and I've seen her disappointment when you're not," Jax explained.

Opie looked at Jax like he was crazy. "She's your wife bro, how can you talk like that?"

"Because I love her, and I know she loves me. It isn't a competition, and she isn't hiding anything from me. Hell, she's hiding more from herself than she is from me. If you don't believe me, just grab your shit and hop in bed with us tonight when we go to bed. She'll curl up to you like it's her favorite thing in the world, because it is. She loves waking up between us man." Jax tried to explain.

Their conversation was cut off when Tara came back in the room and announced that the realtor would be over after dinner to discuss the details of the sale.

Opie helped Kenny with his math while Jax helped Ellie with her English essay, and Tara read a book to Thomas and Abel before dinner. They had their family dynamic down to a well oiled machine and all three of the adults were happy that it wouldn't be changing anytime soon.

That night, after a dinner of pork roast, potatoes and carrots, the adults cleaned up the kitchen while the kids watched a movie in the living room. The doorbell rang and Tara went to answer it, leading the realtor into the kitchen where they sat around the table to talk. The asking price was ridiculously low, a fact that the realtor mentioned at least four times in the first fifteen minutes of their conversation. They'd go to the bank the next morning and start on the loan paperwork, which shouldn't take long because it would be a very small loan, given all the money they'd saved from the sale of the homes in Charming.

That night when all the kids were in bed and Tara started yawning, Jax shot a look at Opie and said, "Hey Tara, you ready for bed baby?"

She nodded amidst another yawn and stood from the couch. Opie went outside to smoke one last time, while Jax and Tara headed to their room. When he came back in, he locked up and flipped the lights off on his way to bed. He went to his own room and shut the door, changing into a pair of basketball shorts and looking at his bed. After shaking his head and taking a deep breath, he grabbed his pillow and opened the bedroom door, heading back up the hall to Jax and Tara's room. The door was still open a crack, so he walked in and saw Jax laying on the bed giving him a shit eating grin.

"Fuck off," Opie said simply, as he laid down on the other side of the bed.

Both men watched as the bathroom door opened and Tara came out in a pair of purple silk pajama shorts and a matching tank top. Her eyes lit up when she saw Opie in their bed, and the open space in the middle for herself. She climbed over the foot of the bed and happily placed herself between the two men, facing Opie. Both Opie and Jax scooted closer and put an arm across Tara, effectively holding both Tara and the other man. She snuggled back against Jax, who buried his face in her hair and kissed her neck. Figuring he didn't have anything to lose, Opie leaned his head in and kissed her cheek, watching for her reaction. A smile ghosted across Tara's lips as she snuggled down happily. Jax just smirked at Opie, an "I told you so," look in his eyes.

The next morning Tara awoke, still snuggled between Jax and Opie. She had turned to face Jax during the night, so Opie's face was buried in her hair, his breath tickling her neck. She leaned up to look over Jax and saw that it was only five-thirty, so she settled back between them, prepared for a quiet snuggle until the alarm went off.

As she settled back in, Opie nuzzled and softly kissed her neck. She inhaled deeply as the kiss made her squirm, and startled when she realized Jax was awake and watching her when I little smile on his face. He leaned in and languidly kissed her lips, teasing them open to allow his tongue inside her mouth. "It's ok babe," he said quietly. "I don't mind if you want to get more involved with Opie."

"Really," she whispered. "You don't mind?"

"No babe, I don't," Jax confirmed. "Opie and I were sort of involved as teenagers. Nothing serious, just a couple of guys getting off, but I wouldn't mind it again either."

Tara nodded, her brow creasing, "We should talk with him about it."

"Just let it happen," Jax suggested. "Ope isn't exactly a talker," he chuckled.

"What's so funny," Opie grumbled into the back of Tara's neck.

Jax nudged Tara to roll over and face Opie. When she did, Jax leaned between his wife and best friend, and kissed Opie right on the lips. When Opie's eyes flew open, Jax smirked and said "Good morning sunshine."

Opie narrowed his eyes at his friend, before looking at Tara, who seemed to have enjoyed watching him kiss her husband. Jax was still leaned above Tara, so Opie thought,"what the hell," and grabbed Jax's shaggy blonde hair and pulled him down for another kiss, this time with a little more heat than the cheeky smack of the lips that Jax had given him.

Tara's hands came to rest on Opie's chest just as Thomas started to cry for his morning meal, breaking the three of them apart. "I'll get him," Tara groaned as she slipped under Jax and out of the bed. "Don't get too frisky without me," she teased, winking back at them as she opened the bedroom door.

Opie groaned and flopped onto his back, and Jax followed suit, "Man your kid is a cock blocker."

Jax chuckled but nodded in agreement.

"I'm taking a shower," they said at the same time.

"I'll use this one, you get the other," Jax said quickly.

The two men got out of bed, their erections still tenting their shorts, and headed for their separate cold showers.


	12. Chapter 12

It was a Wednesday afternoon when the pin dropped, or at least tried to.

Thomas and Abel had just woken up from their naps and Kenny and Ellie were due home any minute. Jax and Opie were planning to walk to the neighborhood pool and swim with the kids for a few hours. They were changing the boys into swim diapers and little swim trunks while they waited for Ellie and Kenny.

The two men shared a look as the rumble of more than one Harley stopped in front of their house. Opie walked to the nursery window and looked outside, "Shit," he exclaimed. Thomas gurgled in his big uncle's arms as Opie looked back at Jax.

Jax pulled Abel's little swim trunks up and scooped him up off the changing table. When he joined Opie at the window, he echoed the bigger man's earlier words, "Shit."

An unmistakable black Cadillac SUV and three motorcycles sat in their driveway.

Clay, Tig, and Chibs followed Gemma up to their door, and Jax sighed as the doorbell began to ring. He handed Abel off to Opie, "Hang out in here with them while I go see what kind of shit storm this is going to turn into."

"Sure," Opie agreed. "Keep an ear out for Ken and El, they've had enough SAMCRO drama to last them a lifetime and then some."

"Keep your hair on," Jax shouted as he headed down the hall and into the living room to answer the door.

He pulled the door open to Chibs looking apologetic, while Clay, Gemma, and Tig all looked pissed. "Hey Chibs," Jax greeted his former brother with a small smile, before turned to his mother, stepfather and Tig. "Are you here to act like adults and talk, or am I shutting this door so you can leave," he asked calmly.

"You shut this door in your mother's face and I'll break it down," Clay growled.

"And I'll have Portland PD here in three minutes and press charges on you for terrorizing four children. Bet your P.O. will love that," Jax answered coldly. "This bullshit is exactly why we left SAMCRO in the first place."

"We're home Uncle Jax," Kenny's small voice came from behind the wall of leather that was posed in front of Jax.

"Come on inside guys, there's a snack in the kitchen, your dad is in the nursery with the babies. Eat and then we're gonna walk over to the pool," Jax directed the two Winston kids like they were his own.

"What are you, some sort of kept house husband," Gemma snarled. "I raised you better than that."

"What I am is of no concern to you, as long as you've got that attitude. Go back to Charming, mom. I don't know how you got my address but forget it. Call me when you want to visit, IF you can be civil. We have plans with the kids," Jax said angrily as he started to close the door.

"Boy!" Clay barked.

"Old man," Jax replied, the warning clear in his voice.

"Let's go, I told ya this was not the way ta handle things," Chibs said as he nudged Clay back toward the waiting bikes.

Once their not so Charming visitors were gone, Jax locked the door and went in search of Opie and the kids. Kenny and Ellie were finishing their snack at the kitchen table, and Opie was laying on the nursery floor with Abel and Thomas.

"That went well," Opie said dryly.

Jax snorted and bent down to pick up Thomas, "Your two are changing. I'll get sunscreen on these two while you find those goofy hats Tara bought."

Later that night as Jax explained what had happened to Tara, his phone rang. Looking at the screen, he was relieved to see Chibs' number on the screen.

"Hey Chibs," Jax said as he answered.

"Hey Jackie. Sorry about earlier today. I tried ta tell 'em, but no one listens ta me anymore."

"Well, ya know Chibs. Tacoma's only a 2 hour ride from Portland, and I'm sure Lee wouldn't turn away a patch from the Mother Charter,' Jax stated coyly.

"I may have ta take that into consideration," Chibs said thoughtfully. "Are the lads and the little lass okay? I hate that Gemma and Clay dragged their shit to Portland."

Jax assured Chibs that all was well in their house, and the two spoke for a few more minutes, Before they hung up, Chibs assured Jax that he would try and warn them before anyone showed up again.When they hung up Jax helped Tara up off the couch and sent her to get ready for bed while he checked on Thomas and Abel.

The weekend before, Opie had officially moved into the master bedroom, allowing Kenny to move into what been Opie's room. The young boy was thrilled to be out of the nursery and to have his own room like his big sister. Opie was coming out of Kenny's room when Jax headed to check on his boys.

There still hadn't been a lot of action by the three. Mostly kisses and lots of snuggles, sometimes with wandering hands. Everyone wanted more but no one was sure how to go about taking the next step. Tara didn't want to mess up her marriage, Jax didn't want to pressure Tara, and Opie wasn't sure how to proceed with two lovers.

Tara was giving Thomas a bath while Jax and Opie were cleaning up the kitchen after dinner one night when Jax broached the subject. "What are we doing here Ope?"

"I don't know how to date two people," Opie admitted.

"Well we're well past dating," Jax said with a wry smile.

"You know what I mean, jackass. I just don't want to fuck anything up."

"Honestly, I think we all want the same thing. Just go for it," Jax suggested.

Opie was silent and when Jax turned to look at his friend, Opie leaned over and kissed Jax, carding his damp hand through Jax's blonde hair, using it to pull Jax in closer.

"Ewww, do you guys have to do that in the kitchen," Ellie pretended to gag as she walked in the door, "We eat in here,"

"Yeah guys, we eat in here," Tara teased as she came in a few steps behind Ellie. She kissed each of them on the cheek and went to the fridge to get a bottle of water.

"Hey El, why don't you go put on a movie, I need to talk to Jax and Tara for a second," Opie suggested,

Ellie shrugged and headed for the living room without complaining. When they heard the tv come on, Tara raised an eyebrow, waiting for Opie to talk. "I need to tell the kids something," Opie sighed.

Tara nodded in agreement and then teased, "Especially if you two are going to keep making out in the kitchen instead of doing the dishes."

Jax smirked at her, "Jealous?"

"Maybe a little," she agreed.

Opie shook his head. "Are you two ready for them to have questions for you?"

Jax and Tara agreed that it was time to fill Ellie and Kenny in on the budding relationship, so Opie went into the living room to talk with them while Tara and Jax finished the dishes. "Ken, El," Opie said as he walked into the other room.

Ellie paused the movie they were watching and looked up at her father. Kenny's eyes had been on Opie since he walked in the room.

"Ellie, I know you saw me kissing Jax, and you both know we all share the master bedroom now. Do you guys have any questions," he asked his kids.

"How come you were kissing Uncle Jax? I only ever seen you kissing mommy," Kenny asked.

Opie pulled Kenny into his lap and hugged him tightly, "I like Jax and Tara sort of the same way I love your mom," he tried to explain.

"Do you still love mommy," Ellie asked quietly.

"Oh baby girl come here," Opie said as he pulled Ellie to his side and held the sniffling girl close. "I'm always going to love your mom. She was the love of my life and no matter what happens, she's always going to be a part of us."

The three Winstons sat quietly, huddled together in one corner of the couch, each lost in their own memories of Donna. Ellie was the one to break the silence, "What does it mean for us?"

"I don't think much will change," Opie told her. "You guys already love Jax and Tara, and we already all live together. You'll be like a big sister and Ken'll be like a big brother to Abel and Thomas."

Kenny's eyes lit up at that, "I have little brothers," he cheered.

Ellie sighed, "Now I have three little brothers."

Opie chuckled and kissed the side of her head, "Why don't you guys finish watching your show before bed while I go help Tara and Jax in the kitchen."

Ellie pushed the play button on the remote and she and Kenny were zoned back into the program in seconds. Opie shook his head fondly as he walked back into the kitchen.

"They ok," Jax asked from where he was hanging up the dish towel.

"Yeah, they're fine. Ellie asked me if I still love their mom," Opie answered, sighing as he ran his fingers through his long hair.

Tara went to him and wrapped her arms around him, comfortingly. Opie leaned into Tara's embrace and Jax watched them with a soft smile on his face. Tara held her hand out and Jax joined them. They both silently supported Opie as he held on to them.


	13. Chapter 13

A week later there was a thick business size envelope in the mailbox when Tara opened the box on her way in from work. She pulled it and a few smaller envelopes out of the box and headed inside. She dropped the mail on the kitchen counter and toed off her sneakers. Her hospital sneakers where in the back of the Jeep, she never wore them anywhere but the hospital.

She forgot about the mail as she was pulled into Opie's arms for a kiss. "Welcome home," he said with a sweet smile.

Tara grinned up at him. "Did you miss me," she asked.

"Always," Opie said as he kissed her again before letting her go.

Jax had come in the kitchen and pulled Tara in for as kiss as Opie flipped through the mail. Jax had slipped his hands into Tara's back pockets, their foreheads resting together when Opie whispered, "What the fuck?"

They both turned to look at him and saw that he was holding a stack of 8x10 photographs. Opie flipped the first photo up and he dropped the entire stack, his eyes wide and skin pale. The photos fanned out across the kitchen floor. Jax and Tara watched in horror as the crime scene photos from the night Donna was killed spread across the floor. Jax bent and snatched up a piece of paper that landed by their feet.

"Watch out," he read outloud. "Tragedy might strike twice."

"What the fuck," Tara asked.

"Hey daddy," they heard Ellie call down the hall. Tara rushed out of the kitchen to go keep the kids from walking in and seeing pictures of their mother's corpse all over the kitchen.

Jax quickly gathered up the photos and put them back in the envelope. Opie was still standing in the same spot, staring at the floor. Jax touched Opie's shoulder and he jumped. "Come sit down in the living room," Jax suggested, wrapping his arm around Opie's waist, leading the still stunned man to the couch.

"What are we going to do Jax," Tara asked as she came into the living room. She took a seat on the other side of Opie and slipped her arm around him, pressing hers against Jax's.

"We gotta call the cops." Jax answered. "I mean, we know it was either Clay or Gemma, maybe both, but we can't take matters into our own hands anymore."

Tara nodded and pulled out her phone. She called the Portland Police and requested an officer to take a report. They waited together on the couch, until there was a knock at the door.

Jax rose from the couch and let the officer in. They gave the officer the envelope and the note, and after the officer glanced in the envelope, he shut it quickly and took their statements. They explained what had happened to Donna, or at least the official version, and the officer said he'd have some extra patrols in the neighborhood. After giving him their phone numbers, the officer took the photos for evidence and left.

Tara went to the kitchen and quickly made some chicken nuggets and fries for the kids. While the food was in the oven, she poured two small glasses of whisky and took them to the living room to Jax and Opie. After she'd handed them the glasses, she gently put a hand on Opie's cheek. When he looked up at her, she placed a soft, lingering kiss on his forehead.

She made plates for Ellie, Kenny and Abel and called them to the kitchen. Once Abel was buckled in his high chair, she fetched Thomas from his swing and put him to her breast.

While Tara was handling the kids in the kitchen, Jax was trying to figure out how to help Opie in the living room. He watched the turmoil roll across his best friend, his lover's face, and it made Jax's heart ache. When Opie sat his empty glass on the coffee table, Jax tugged him over until Opie was resting against him. "I got you," Jax said simply.

Jax ended up sitting sideways on the couch with Opie leaning against his chest. Tara peaked her head around the corner and smiled sadly. "Do you guys need anything," she asked quietly.

When Opie didn't respond, Jax said, "Nah babe we're fine."

When Tara left the room Jax hugged Opie tightly, "Need you to put on a brave face for the kids," he said gently. "Just hug and kiss them and tell them you aren't feeling well, then go lay down. Tara and I will get them in bed."

Opie nodded and sat up, "Thank you," he said quietly. He made his way to the kitchen and kissed his kids. After making excuses, he headed into the master bedroom and curled up in the middle of the bed.

A little while later, Jax carried Abel and Thomas into the master bedroom and sat Abel doen in front of Opie. "I gotta give these two baths. Watch him while I get Thomas washed real quick," he asked. Opie nodded and wrapped an arm around the wiggling little man.

When Jax came out with Thomas wrapped in a towel, he handed the bay to Opie, who was now sitting up on the bed. Jax picked up Abel and carried him into the bathroom. "Will you dry him and take him to the nursery," he called over his shoulder as Abel began to splash in the warm water.

Opie bundled Thomas in the towel and held the squirming baby to his chest as they walked across the hall to the nursery. He carefully laid Thomas on the changing table and got a diaper on him. He was picking up Thomas to carry him to the dresser to get pajamas when Tara entered the room. "I'll take him," she offered, grabbed a sleeper and stepping up to the changing table. "You go say goodnight to Kenny and Ellie."

Opie nodded and left the room, going to Kenny first. He read a chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with him, and then kissed him goodnight. He headed to Ellie's room where he sat and talked with her for a few minutes before listening to her read a chapter of Little Women to him. He kissed her goodnight and headed back to the master bedroom.

Jax was laying in bed, and he could hear the shower going in the bathroom. Opie went to the dresser and grabbed a pair of lounge pants to change into. Once he was changed, he slid into the bed and stretched out beside Jax. "That was fucked up," he said quietly.

"Yeah, it was," Jac replied as he threw his arm across Opie's side and snuggled against him.

Opie tried to relax against Jax, but he was tense and Jax could tell. "What do you need Ope," he was asked.

"Fuck I don't know," Opie answered. "It was like I was thrown back there all over again."

Tara came out of the bathroom in her purple cotton pajamas and crawled in bed with the two men. She faced Opie and snuggled close, resting her head on his outstretched arm. Her small hand momentarily cupped his cheek before she began gently scratching her nails through his beard.

The tension slowly started to drain from Opie's body as he lay there between his two new lovers. Jax's strong arms held him close, while Tara's nimble fingers stroked through his beard. He was able to let enough tension go, and fell asleep.

A few hours later Jax and Tara were jolted away by the sobbing man in their arms. They had fallen asleep still holding Opie, hoping to keep the nightmares at bay. It hadn't worked.

Opie was curled in on himself, rocking slightly and murmuring "No, no, no," over and over.

Jax gently shook him, "Wake up Ope, come on wake up."

Opie jerked awake with a gasp. His body was shaking and his quick movement had awakened Tara. She turned and pulled his head to her chest. Jax curled closer to Opie and rubbed his back. Jax and Tara shared a look across Opie's shaking back. Something had to be done about Gemma and Clay.

Daybreak and alarm clocks came too soon the next morning. Tara extricated herself from Opie's heavy limbs and headed for the shower. She was rinsing the conditioner from her hair when the bathroom door opened. A few moments later the shower opened and strong arms wrapped around her. She knew who it was from the height and build, "Good morning Opie," she said with a soft smile.

"Sorry about last night," he said, his voice low.

Tara raised up on tiptoe and gently kissed his lips, "Everyone has nightmares honey. Don't worry about it."

They held each other under the hot spray until Tara had to get out and pump milk for Thomas before she went to work. As she set up her pump supplies, she woke Jax. "Opie's in the shower, go make sure he's ok.

Jax stumbled out of bed and kissed her cheek before heading in to join Opie. When he entered the bathroom it was warm and steamy, obscuring the mirrors and the shower doors. He shed his clothes and stepped into the shower.

Opie was standing with his head slumped forward, hot water pouring down his back and over his shoulders. Jax wrapped an arm across Opie's shoulder and pulled him into a hug. "We're gonna get through this," he promised.

Opie shook his head. "I don't know why this surprises me so much."

"Because it's heinous," Jax said. "No one should be forced to relive what you've been through Ope."

They showered together and got out as the hot water started to run low. They toweled off quickly, leaving their long hair damp, and got dressed. "You know it still feels weird some days, not putting on the leather," Opie said.

Jax nodded, "Yeah but it's worth it. Lets go get the kids."

Opie smiled and nodded. They headed out to the main part of the house to get the kids ready for the day.


	14. Chapter 14

Two days later Jax got a call at eight in the morning from a number he didn't recognize. "Hello, Mr. Teller, this is Detective Walker from the Portland Police department."

"This is Jax Teller, what can I do for you Detective Walker," Jax responded.

"This call is in regards to the report you placed two days ago about the package your family received," the officer began. "We fingerprinted the envelope and the note, and were able to exclude yourself, your wife and Mr. Winston since your prints were already in the system from California."

"Okay…" Jax said as the detective paused.

"San Joaquin County sheriff's department is serving an arrest warrant on your mother as we speak. She's currently being charged with terroristic threatening and harassment."

Jax sighed heavily, "Thank you detective."

"I'll be in touch with further information when it's available," the detective said as he hung up the phone.

Jax sat on the couch with his head in his hands. On one hand, it didn't surprise him in the least. On the other, he couldn't believe the low that Gemma had stooped to. What if Ellie or Kenny had been in the room when Opie opened that envelope and dropped those photos? Gemma was usually all about protecting the kids. Apparently that only applied to kids with her blood.

Opie joined him on the couch. Ellie and Kenny were out back playing and the babies were both taking their naps. Jax quickly filled him in, and Opie was stunned for the same reason Jax had been. "What if the kids had seen that," Opie asked, his eyes flashing darkness.

"I know man. I never thought Gemma would go that far," Jax said with a shake of his head.

"I'm going for a ride," Opie said as he stood and headed for the garage where their bikes had been sitting, barely used since the move to Portland. A moment later the door slammed and the garage door began opening.

Tara came out of the bedroom at the sound of the Harley firing up in the garage. Jax filled her in on the phone call and Opie's anger. She sat on the couch beside him in silence.

When Tara finally spoke she said, "I figured it was Clay."

Jax nodded in agreement. Thomas began to fuss and Jax stood to go get him, "I got him babe," he said before Tara could get up.

Opie cruised through the streets of Portland, trying to obey the speed limits. He was pissed but he knew he had to pay attention here. This wasn't Charming and he didn't own the town.

He didn't know how long he'd been riding but the sun was high in the sky so he knew it wa at least noon. He felt more calm than he had when he left, so he circled around and headed back for home.

He got back to the house as Tara was sliding plates of grilled cheese and carrot sticks in front of his kids. Jax was feeding Thomas a tub of what looked like strained bananas, and Abel was clapping his hands as his mother put bis grilled cheese, which was cut into strips, on his high chair tray. "Daddy," Ellie said, her face lighting up when she saw him come in.

"Hey baby girl," he said as he went around the table, kissing each kid, and Jax, on the head. He hugged Tara and whispered his thanks in her ear before kissing her cheek. She smiled up at him and nodded in understanding.

The family spent the rest of their Saturday outside. Kenny and Ellie ran around the yard with Opie and Jax chasing them. Abel toddled along behind the big kids, being scooped up and carried around by his father or Opie. Tara sat on a blanket with Thomas and watched their antics with a soft smile on her face.

Tara gathered up Thomas and took him inside for his nap before dinner. She was quietly leaving his room when her cell phone began to ring. She hurried down the hall and answered her phone when she was away from the nursery, "Doctor Tara Knowles speaking."

"Doctor Knowles, this is Sheriff Eli Roosevelt of the San Joaquin County Sheriff's office in Charming California," the man on the other end of the line identified himself.

"Hello Sheriff Roosevelt, I believe we met briefly, before my family left Charming. What can I do for you?" Tara moved into the kitchen and sat down at the table as she spoke to the sheriff.

Roosevelt went on to explain the reason for his phone call. "I wanted to let you know that Mrs. Morrow is being handed over to the FBI. Due to the harassment crossing state lines, as well as the use of the United States Postal Service it has become a federal crime."

"Oh wow," Tara said, shocked that something was actually being done without any of them being bloodied. "i don't even know how to respond. I'm not used to Gemma actually being punished for her actions," she admitted.

Roosevelt chuckled quietly, "The FBI will be contacting you for more information and potential witnesses," he explained

"Thank you Sheriff," Tara said as they ended the call. She sat there at the kitchen stable for a few minutes, still too stunned to get up and move.

Jax came in the back door, the screen clanging behind him and causing her to jump. "What's wrong babe," Jax asked immediately.

"I just talked to Roosevelt, the new sheriff in Charming. Your mother is being turned over to the FBI for interstate harassment," Tara explained. "I'm just a little shocked. I kind of expected for this to get bloody before anyone listened."

Jax pulled Tara into his chest and kissed her forehead. "I'm glad they're taking it seriously."

"Me too," she said as she hugged him tightly. "I love Wayne but I'm so glad SAMCRO doesn't own the SanWa sheriff's department."

"Yeah, someone has to stop mom before she hurts someone else," Jax agreed. He kissed her forehead again before pulling away and heading for the bathroom.

Now that Tara was shaken out of her daze, she headed for the fridge and pulled out a prepared lasagna dish that she'd picked up from a meals to go place the evening before. After reading the directions, she slid the pan into the oven and then turned it on 425 degrees and set the time for forty-five minutes.

Tara flitted around the kitchen making a salad and garlic cheese bread while she waited for the timer to go off. She had set the table and put out the salad and bread just as the timer went off. Before going to the stove, she stuck her head out the door and called everyone inside to clean up.

Jax helped Abel wash up, and supervised Kenny, while Opie went to get Thomas from his crib. After a diaper change Opie and Thomas came out of the nursery and met Jax and the rest of the kids on their way into the kitchen.

Tara had placed the lasagna on the table, along with a few other things, while the guys were taking care of the kids. She was currently making plates for Kenny and Ellie when they entered the room. "Will you guys put the boys in their high chairs while I get Abel's plate from the fridge," Tara asked.

Opie secured Thomas in his high chair and handed him a banana puff while Jax wrangled Abel into his seat and handed him a piece of cucumber from the bowl of salad. Abel looked at the cereal puffs Thomas had, and back to the cucumber in his own hand, before looking up at Jax as if to say, 'what the hell dad?' Jax chuckled and kissed his son's head.

The three adults worked together to make sure all four kids were settled and eat before sitting and making their plates. They enjoyed their meal as a family, with Thomas between Jax and Tara, Abel between Jax and Opie, and Kenny and Ellie sharing the side of the table between Opie and Tara.

Tara and Jax took turns giving Thomas small bites off their plates. Opie helped Abel actually get food to his mouth, instead of just smearing it around. They managed a conversation about cartoons with Ellie and Kenny as the kids enjoyed the lasagna. "Do we have to eat salad dad," Kenny whined.

"Yep," Opie answered. "Gotta eat your vegetables so you can grow up big and strong."

"I'd rather be short," Kenny grumbled as he stuffed a piece of lettuce in his mouth.

Everyone at the table snickered, and even Kenny smiled a little at his comment. The rest of the evening was quiet, and peaceful. It was a welcome respite from the drama that seemed to follow them everywhere.


	15. Chapter 15

The following weeks were a blur of activity for the Teller-Winston family. Tara worked long hours at the hospital, Jax and Opie had started their classes at the technical college, and Abel and Thomas started daycare at Portland Children's. Kenny and Ellie had just gotten out of school for the summer, and were able to stay at home, with Robert and Sara's sixteen year old daughter Emma keeping an eye on them. She took them to the pool, played video games with Kenny and taught Ellie new ways to do her hair. Emma was quickly becoming their favorite person.

Tara spent a lot of time on the phone with the FBI field office in Stockton. Gemma had made bail, but was on house arrest and any infraction would see her bail revoked. Tara had provided them with a list of witnesses to Gemma's harassment in California, as well as the alarm company they used in Portland. The FBI had obtained copies of the video monitor at their front door that showed Gemma, Clay, Tig and Chibs at their front door. It looked to be an air tight case against Gemma, and Tig and Clay were looking at heading back to Stockton to finish their sentences since they'd violated the terms of their parole by leaving the state.

Jax had received a call from Ally Lowen, letting him know that she'd dropped SAMCRO as a whole as her clients. It was too much of a conflict of interest, and with his permission she would use his case to aid the FBI in keeping Clay, Tig and Gemma away from Portland. Before they got off the phone, she congratulated him on the purchase of their home, and on he and Opie getting into the mechanics program.

Chibs called them on Friday night, and asked not to be put on speaker. Jax frowned but agreed. He took the call inside the house, since they'd been outside grilling and enjoying the warm summer night. "What's up Chibs," he asked when he was alone.

"No easy way ta say this Jackie boy, Clay was killed a few hours ago," Chibs said with a sigh.

"What," Jax asked, as he sank down on the couch, his eyes wide.

"Meet with the Irish went wrong," Chibs explained. "Can't say much more than that," he said, regret in his voice.

"Is everyone else whole," Jax asked.

"Juicy boy took a ricochet to the leg but it was nothing I couldn't handle. He's draped in croweaters at the moment," Chibs answered with a chuckle. "Everyone else is fine. Few bumps and bruises from when we dove for cover."

"Good. Good. Does Gemma know," Jax asked.

"We played it off like we didn't know what happened when the sheriff showed up. He's supposed to be informing Gemma anytime now," Chibs explained. "Tig and Bobby went over to be with her.

"Thanks for calling me Chibs. Who's the new pres," Jax asked curiously.

"Haven't voted yet. My bet's on Bobby though," Chibs answered. "I'll call you later and let you know for sure."

Jax thanked Chibs again before they got off the phone. He sat there on the couch staring at the phone in hands until Opje came through the back door with a plate of burgers in his hands. "Jax, where'd you go," Opie called out.

Jax stood and walked back in the kitchen. "That was Chibs on the phone. He asked me not to put him on speaker, so I came inside to see what was going on," he explained. When Opie nodded, Jax continued. "Clay's dead."

"What," Opie asked, unsure if he'd heard correctly.

"Clay's dead. Bad meet with the Irish. Juice took a ricochet to the leg but Chibs took care of him. Everyone else is a little bruised but whole," Jax filled in.

"Well. That's...interesting," Opie said with a frown. He couldn't say he was sorry Clay was dead. The man left a trail of destruction in his wake and needed to be stopped.

"I know what you're thinking and I feel it too. Not sorry to see him go. We're all safer for it," Jax confirmed Opie's thoughts.

Jax went out back to fill Tara in. Once she knew everything he did, he gathered the kids and took them inside to wash up before dinner. Opie was in the kitchen making the kids burgers when Tara carried the grilled veggies in. It was starting to get dark so they were going to eat inside away from the bugs.

Later that evening, about halfway through A Bug's Life, Jax's phone rang again. He stepped into the kitchen to answer it, "Hey Chibs," he said.

"Hey Jackie boy," Chibs said.

"Who made President," Jax asked.

Chibs sighed, "You're talking to him."

"No shit? Congrats man," Jax replied with a grin.

"Aye, thanks. Bobby nominated me, and asked to be stepped down to treasurer. We voted Happy, Miles and Rat in as members."

"Wait, who's your VP," Jax asked when he realized what Chibs hadn't said.

Chibs sighed again, "Wasn't my first choice. Would have preferred to keep Bobby, but Tig was pretty much the only option. Hap's stepping up as Sergeant."

"Watch your back man. You know Tig's crazy loyal to Gemma," Jax warned.

"Aye, I'll have to keep him on a short leash until he goes back in," Chibs confirmed.

The men finished their conversation and Jax headed back into the living room. He stood in the doorway, first watching the kids, who were enthralled with the movie. Even Abel had settled down and was paying attention.

His attention moved to Tara and Opie who were on the couch together. He couldn't help but smile fondly at them. Opie was sitting at the end of the couch and had pulled Tara into his lap. His arm was around her waist as she leaned into him. Jax loved how close they'd all become.

He walked over to the couch and lifted Tara's legs. He sat close to Opie and Tara stretched her legs across Jax's lap, smiling at him. Opie put his free arm around Jax's shoulders and tugged him a little closer. The trio sat cuddled together until the end of the movie.

Tara climbed out of Opie's lap and scooped up Abel, who had fallen asleep. She carried him to the nursery as Opie sent Kenny to get ready for bed. Jax leaned against Opie and they sat in silence as Ellie went to her room to draw until bedtime.

Tara came back in the living room after putting Abel down, and once again curled up with Opie and Jax. Jax explained what the second call from Chibs had been about. "Never thought I'd see Tig in the VP seat," Opie said, shaking his head.

"I'm just glad we're out of there, Tara said as she rested her head on Opie's shoulder. Jax and Opie both agreed with her. Even under new circumstances, they were still happy to be free of SAMCRO and Charming.


	16. Chapter 16

Elementary school was just starting back when the time for Gemma's trial had come around. Tara, Jax, and Opie all had to testify, since they'd all had run-ins with her and could testify to her brand of crazy. They'd be heading down on Thursday morning to spend the night in a hotel and then have the trial Friday morning.

Mary was going to keep Kenny and Ellie for the day, and Chibs had asked to spend time with Thomas and Abel. Tara had been hesitant at first, but after Chibs had explained that the club had purchased the old Scoops and Sweets ice cream parlor as part of their move toward legitimate business, and that he would keep the boys there, away from the clubhouse, she relented easily. The boys would spend time with their uncles safely away from croweaters, pornstars, and alcohol, which was something Tara could handle.

They rented a minivan so they could all ride together. Ellie and Kenny sat in the back with Abel between them, while Thomas and Tara took the middle captain's chairs. Jax and Opie took turns driving, which amused Tara. She never thought she'd see these two bikers driving a minivan.

The drive down took them twelve hours, with bathroom and food breaks. Tara had packed granola bars and frozen gogurt for the kids to snack on, so they were able to make decent time. They were all relieved when they pulled up to their hotel and piled out of the van. Thomas and Abel happily squealed when they were let out of their carseats.

Tara went in and checked them in while Jax called Lowen to let her know they'd made it to Stockton. She'd dropped SAMCRO as a whole and was representing the Teller-Winston family now. She wasn't involved in an official capacity, but she looked over everything that was presented to them and offered her legal opinion.

When Tara came out with their room keys, Opie was on the phone with Mary, setting a meeting spot for the next morning, while Jax was dialing Chibs number. She waved them back into the car and pulled around to their rooms. She pulled into a parking spot directly in front of their rooms and everyone piled out again.

Meeting times set, Jax and Opie got off the phone and helped her unload the luggage and kids into the rooms. Since the rooms had a connecting door that they could leave open, it was decided that Kenny and Ellie would share the room with two full size beds and a crib for Abel, while Thomas would bunk in a crib in the adults room, which sported a king size bed.

Pizza was ordered and everyone relaxed on their beds while they waited. Kenny and Ellie were excited to have a hotel room to themselves, even if their dad was in the next room with the door open. Abel toddled back and forth between the rooms, laughing and giggling the whole time. Thomas was just happy to not be strapped down, after the long car ride.

The pizza soon showed up and everyone ate before settling the kids in bed. It was obvious that Tara was a bundle of nerves, so Jax and Opie snuggled her between them.

She rested her head on Opie's chest, and Jax wrapped his arms around her from behind. She sighed in a sort of contentment as they settled together. Opie's heavy arm was a welcome weight across her waist as his hand rested on Jax's hip. She wasn't sure how tomorrow would go, but she knew that she'd get through it with these two men beside her.

Morning came entirely too soon and found Tara standing in front of the bathroom mirror, brushing her teeth as Thomas nursed. Opie hearded his kids around, getting them ready for their day with Mary. Jax and Abel were watching cartoons while Abel ate a granola bar.

There was a knock at their hotel room door. Jax got up to answer it and Mary entered the room with a big smile on her face. Jax pointed her to the connecting door and she wrapped her arms around her son and hugged him tightly. "I'm so proud of you," Mary told her son.

"Ma," Opie asked, confused.

"You got out. You took care of your kids and got away from the Charming cesspool. I love you so much and I'm so proud of you Opie," Mary explained, her eyes misty.

Opie hugged his mom tightly, "Thank Tara, we couldn't have done it without her. She worked everything out to get us where we are."

Marry stepped back through the connecting door and pulled a surprised Tara, who had just finished getting dressed, into a tight hug. "Thank you for saving my son and my grandkids. Thank you so much," she said.

Tara gave Mary and hug back and assured the older woman that it was her pleasure. "Opie and the kids mean everything to us. I was glad to help," Tara admitted.

Mary gathered Kenny and Ellie, and headed out, leaving the three adults with the infant and toddler. Thomas was babbling away on the bed with Opie while Jax showered and Tara put on her makeup. Another knock sounded at the door and Opie scooped up Thomas and answered it.

"There's the wee one," an unmistakable Scottish brogue rang across the room. "And the not so wee one," Chibs chuckled as Opie let him, and Brooke into the room. "We borrowed Brooke's ma's minivan to shuttle the little lad's today," he said to explain.

Jax came out of the shower as the room door was closing and hugs were passed around. Thomas ended up in Brooke's arms and Abel in Chibs'. Brooke snuggled Thomas close, smiling softly as she smelled his soft baby shampoo scent. "When are you due," Tara asked as she watched the younger woman.

Brooke spluttered and blushed, "How...how did you know," she asked.

Tara smiled, "I loved the smell of Abel's shampoo when I was pregnant with Thomas. It was just an educated guess."

"I'm due March thirtieth," Brooke admitted. "We just found out."

The younger woman was pulled into hugs and congratulations went around from everyone in the room. Abel clapped, though he had no idea what was going on, he just knew everyone was happy. Thomas bestowed Brooke with a wet raspberry on her cheek, something he'd recently learned.

The group spent a few more minutes reminiscing and catching up before Chibs passed Abel back to Tara and the men went outside to move the carseats into the other vehicle. Brooke and Tara sat down on the bed and played with the boys. "I can recommend a good OB at Saint Thomas if you'd like," Tara offered.

Brooke thanked her and took the business card Tara had in her wallet. "I just went to the health unit to get the pregnancy confirmed yesterday, so I haven't done much looking into doctors yet," Brooke told her.

Tara nodded in understanding. "I had to digest the news for a few days when I found out about Thomas."

The men came back in and gathered the playpen and the boys diaper bags, loading them into Brooke's van, and then came back inside. "We're ready to head out," Chibs said. "The lads made me watch them install the carseats so I knew how to do it in case we need to move one for whatever reason."

Tara smiled at her men. She loved how careful they both were with the boys' safety. She kissed Abel and handed him to Chibs, then took Thomas from Brooke for a brief cuddle before handing him back. They all went outside and waved goodbye to the boys, who happily went with Uncle Chibs and Brooke.

When the van holding their children was gone, the three adults went back into the hotel room and began to finish getting ready for court. It would be a long day but they'd get through it together.


	17. Xhapter 17

Opie was the first witness called to the stand. Jax and Tara couldn't be in the room since they would both be called as well. Describing how it felt when he saw the pictures of his dead wife was one of the hardest things he'd had to do. It ranked close to having to tell his kids that their mother was dead.

His voice broke as he described his fear of the kids seeing the pictures, especially when Ellie tried to come down the hall. He described how he'd flashed back to that night, sitting in the middle of the road, holding Donna's lifeless body. He couldn't hold back the tears anymore, and let them freely roll down his face as he continued to answer their questions.

His fear for Tara's safety if Gemma were to go free was so genuine that even the judge raised an eyebrow in Gemma's direction. By the time the judge allowed Opie to step down there wasn't a dry eye in the jury box. Many of the jurors were looking at Gemma in disbelief.

Opie went back to the witness room and sat with Tara while Jax was called to the stand. Jax described his mother's crazy antics toward Tara over the years. He answered the prosecutor and defense questions with calm ease, even when his mother's attorney tried to rile him up by bringing up Tara's leaving Charming when they were teens. His testimony didn't quite move the jurors to tears as Opie had, but it was impactful to see a son testifying against his mother. The way Jax looked at mother, like he'd never seen her before, was damning too.

Jax returned to the witness room and the judge dismissed court for lunch. The family opted to head to a nearby burger joint, to avoid seeing Gemma in the court cafeteria. They nibbled on a large order of fries, but none of them really wanted to eat. They were ready to get the day over with and get back to their kids, hopefully with Gemma behind bars.

After lunch, court resumed and Tara was called to the stand. She told her story to the jury, describing the threats she received from Gemma over the years, the physical assaults, and the way they had to sneak out of Charming in an attempt to avoid her wrath. Her breathing hitched, but she remained composed, as she described the fear she felt when the pictures of Donna fell to the floor and scattered across her kitchen. Reliving her dead friend's murder had been awful for the three of them and had made Tara look over her shoulder for weeks to come. Even after Clay and Gemma were placed in jail, she couldn't stop worrying.

The defense thoroughly grilled her over every little detail. They also tried to bring up how she'd left Jax, trying to say that Gemma was just an overprotective mother. Tara rebuffed their claims by pointed out that Jax was a man in his thirties and didn't need his mother to threaten away women. Gemma hadn't liked that and had tried to snarl something in Tara's direction, but was stopped by her attorney.

When Tara was done testifying they were given the option of leaving the courthouse or staying while the defense plead their case. They chose to stay and watch, hoping to see a verdict today. Gemma was the only witness listed on the docket, and they figured it was going to be entertaining to say the least.

Gemma started out weak and it only got worse from there. The judge warned her twice before having her removed from court and added contempt of court to her charges. She was screaming at Tara and not even paying attention to her attorney's pleas for her to shut up. The bailiff dragged her from the courtroom and into a nearby holding cell to wait.

The prosecution and defense gave their closing arguments and the jury was sent to deliberate. They only took twenty minutes to reach an agreement. Everyone was called back into court and when they were settled, and Gemma was brought back in, the judge asked the jury foreman for the verdict.

The foreman stood and read off each charge, followed by "Guilty." Jax, Tara and Opie were shocked. They sat, holding hands, as Gemma's attorney requested immediate sentencing. The judge granted the requested and paused to go over the list of charges and tally up the charges.

Gemma was sentenced to fifteen years in Chino Women's prison. The judge ordered her to serve a minimum of ten years before she'd be eligible for parole. She screeched at the sentence, but the judge held up his hand and continued. After her release, Gemma would be under a no contact order for the entire Teller-Winston family, for an additional ten years.

Tara, Opie, and Jax let out a collective sigh of relief. They, and their children, were safe from Gemma for at least twenty years. They could finally relax and enjoy their time without worrying about what was coming up behind them. They were free. "Let's go get our kids," Jax said with a big smile.

They drove back to Charming and parked in front of Scoops. It was later in the afternoon and the shop was bustling with children and families. They could see Abel, Thomas, Brooke and Rat sitting at a table near the big picture window. Rat waa feeding Thomas a bottle while Brooke supervised Abel eating a scoop of chocolate ice cream. Tara smiled at the sight. She'd never had a problem with Ratboy.

The trio entered the shop and were warmly welcomed by Chucky, who still stood behind the counter scooping ice cream. "Welcome to Scoops," hw called as the bell rang.

They all opted to get a scoop of ice cream and crowded around the table with Brooke, Rat and the boys. They'd agreed for Mary to meet them there with Ellie and Kenny. Abel squealed and Thomas gurgled and reached for Tara when she stepped into his line of sight.

The other members of Samcro passed through the shop, Chibs sitting at the table with them for a while, others nodded or waved on their way through.

It wasn't too long before Mary showed up with the kids, and Chucky brought over a couple more bowls of ice cream. The quirky man had remembered their orders and got them exactly the way the kids liked them.

Rat and Brooke excused themselves soon after, and the shop started to empty out as it got near dinner time. Chibs invited them all to Hannah's to celebrate the verdict and they accepted.

They loaded into the van and followed Chibs over the the diner. They took up the entire big curved corner booth, with Abel and Thomas in high chairs at the end. Chibs happily sat at the end beside Abel and entertained the little boy as they waited for their food.

Soon the table was covered with burgers, fries, chicken nuggets and grilled cheese. The conversation was comfortable and friendly as they ate. They finished off their meal with an entire peach pie spread around the table. They were sad to leave the diner but the sun was sinking low in the sky and the kids had all had an exciting day.

"Well, mission accomplished," Opie said as they exited the diner, heading to the van after bidding goodbye to Chibs.

"What do you mean," Tara asked.

"Jax said keeping his family safe was going to be his mission when he got out of prison," Opie reminded her.

Jax chuckled, "Mission: Family, accomplished."

AN: for those who were begging dor smut, that wasn't what this story was about, but kerp an eye out for a smutty oneshot.


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